Through a Child's Eyes
by Katlin Grace
Summary: Children are helpless, bowing to the wills of the adults around them. This is a story of children who break free from restraint and stand together no matter what. Through pain and betrayal they find love in each other. T
1. Helpless again

Through a Child's Eyes  
  
Prologue  
  
Goten's head snapped up when he heard his mother start to scream at the top of her lungs. He could hear her all the way from the other end of the house where he was currently bugging his big brother. It wasn't at him, never at him, but undoubtedly at his older sister.  
  
The boys' conversation stopped short as they listened to their mother start her rant. This was normal for them. They would wait out the hurricane, standing aside as it tore apart their sister.  
  
Goten closed his eyes as the sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed in his ears. He had been hearing too much of that lately. He could feel Gohan, his big brother, tense up beside him. The silence was thick. The sound of something fragile shattering made both of them jump. Goten took a step forward, but that's as far as he got because Gohan put a hand on his shoulder to hold him back.  
  
"So anyway—"the older boy started. That was how it was. They would stop to listen and then start again as if nothing had happened.  
  
Goten kept his stricken gaze on the door. He wanted to help. He wanted to make this all stop. It wasn't right. He clinched his fists and gritted his teeth but remained still. If Gohan wouldn't do anything, then what chance did he have? He was just a five-year old who didn't know what he was talking about, right? Then, why did he want to grab his older sister and run to Trunks's house where it was safe?  
  
But no...  
  
Goten turned his gaze back to his brother. He would wait. When he was older, people would have to listen. He would stop it then. Until then, it was, "So anyway—"  
  
Usagi curled up around one of her pillows and buried her face into it; she didn't want the sounds of her sobs to reach outside of the room. Maybe if no one heard her, then she could pretend that it never happened, that the pain wasn't real, and that this was all just a long nightmare. Who was she kidding? The whole forest could have heard the beating she just got.  
  
Her cheek was throbbing with pain from where she was sure a bruise was already starting to form. She didn't even want to look at her arm; it was bleeding. The tip of the broken vase had sliced through her upper arm before embedding itself into the wall. The actual vase broke in her mother's hand. The deep gash would be next to the bleeding fingernail imprints.  
  
What had she done this time? Oh yeah, her clothes were dirty from where she and Trunks had played tag. Was that as bad as to deserve all of this pain? 'What did I do?' she thought. 'What did I do? What-' her question was interrupted by a knock at her bedroom door. She uncurled herself and with her good hand quickly wiped away her tears.  
  
"Yeah?" It opened to reveal her little brother. "What is it, Goten?"  
  
His head was bowed, and his feet were scuffing at her bare floor. "I heard."  
  
She turned her head away at those two words. She could never hide her pain; everyone always heard. She wasn't ungrateful for her brother's help, but sometimes she wanted to be alone so that her self-pity could consume her. But no... It was always like this: Goten would hear, come in, and patch her up. When it was all over, Goten would always be there for her.  
  
'Thank Dende for little brothers.' Her eyes closed; a few unwanted tears escaped down her cheeks. "I hurt, Goten. I hurt," she buried her face in her pillow again.  
  
Goten watched silently and let a few tears of his own leak out. His sister was in pain. He had stood by and let someone hurt her. 'Why can't I be braver? Why can't I help more?!' His sobs mixed in with hers. He was never able to stand seeing her cry. He climbed on her bed and wrapped his small arms around her, being careful to avoid her wounds, seeking comfort.  
  
And together, they cried – two lost siblings clutching one another against all of the wrong in the world, against all of the wrong in their house.  
  
And that's how Trunks found them. The lavender-haired demi-Saiyajin stood stunned in the doorway and watched his best friends cry together. It had happened again. He quickly closed and locked the door before hurrying over to them. He climbed onto the bed on the other side of Usagi.  
  
"Trunks..." The girl turned in her brother's grasp and clutched onto her best friend for dear life. She buried her face in his shirt and let her tears soak the front of it.  
  
Trunks wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her tightly against him. "Shh, Usa, I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. Shh, you're safe now," he continued whispering comforting words until he felt her slacken in his arms. She was asleep. Trunks looked over Usagi's head and down at Goten. "What happened?"  
  
The younger boy had his arms wrapped around his sister's waist, and his head buried into her back. The back of her shirt was soaked with his tears. He rested his cheek on her back and listened to her quiet breathing for a moment. "It was bad, Trunks. The worst it's ever been."  
  
Trunks touched Usagi's bruised and swollen cheek lightly. If he had come earlier, then maybe he could have stopped this from happening. 'Maybe- Maybe...' his thoughts trailed off when he caught sight of her bloody arm.  
  
"Goten!"  
  
The black-haired boy shot up in surprise and started to look around frantically. "What? What?" he asked while looking around for any possible threat.  
  
"She's bleeding."  
  
Goten snapped his head around and looked down at her crimson arm. "Oh, Dende. What do we do? Is she going to die? I don't want her to die!" the boy's eyes started to water.  
  
Trunks rolled his eyes heavenward. Was this really supposed to be his best friend? "She's not going to die, baka!" he snapped to the hyperventilating boy. "Where do you keep the first-aid kit?" he asked while pulling Usagi off of him and laying her on the bed.  
  
"The first what?"  
  
Trunks gritted his teeth in annoyance, "The Band-Aids! Where do you keep the Band-Aids?" Goten blinked, "Oh. Well, why didn't you say that before?"  
  
"Just get me the fucking kit!" he yelled at his dense friend. When his patience ran out, he tended to pick up his father's cussing habits. 'But now is not the time for playing around,' he mentally amended.  
  
Goten raced out of the room as fast as he could. When his friend started to use bad words, he knew that was the time to shut up and do as told.  
  
Trunks looked down at Usagi and winced when he noticed her cheek was now purple and had swollen to twice its normal size. With gentle fingers, he smoothed away the hair that had fallen in her face. He hated to see her like this.  
  
Goten came back carrying a huge assortment of medical supplies and was nearly covered in a linen wrap. He resembled a badly wrapped mummy. Trunks motioned for him to dump everything on the bed. He selected what he would need and began to work.  
  
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Goten asked while looking over his friend's shoulder to watch him work.  
  
"I've seen my Mom do this a bazillion times. I get hurt a lot when Dad and I spar." Trunks poured alcohol over both the fingernail marks and the gash. He dabbed it with a towel and grabbed some ointment. Afterward, he wrapped it tight with some of the cloth hanging from Goten's hair.  
  
"Wow, Trunks. You should be a doctor when you grow up!"  
  
Trunks smiled proudly at his work. "Nah. I'm just good at everything," he stated arrogantly.  
  
Goten looked at his sister, "We forgot something." He was gone and back in a flash holding a bag of ice. This part he knew all about. With practiced hands, the small boy wrapped the ice to his sister's head to keep the swelling down. The two sat back and watched her sleep.  
  
"She's never bled before," Goten's quiet observation echoed in the silence.  
  
Trunks stared at the glass of the kitchen table with his brow crinkled in confused thought. His eyes were glazed over as his fork made circles in his mashed potatoes.  
  
The adults shared a look. "What's wrong, brat?" Vegeta asked. His son had been too quiet for the past few days.  
  
"I'm worried about Usa," his tone was distant.  
  
The adults shared another glance. This time Bulma spoke, "What about her?"  
  
Trunks contemplated his juice for a moment. "She was asleep when I went over to play today."  
  
Vegeta snorted, "So she was asleep. That just says that she's lazy." Bulma kicked her husband under the table. He glared at her; she happily returned it.  
  
"She was asleep when I went yesterday. Goten said she hasn't woken up for three days. Ever since..." Trunks trailed off and looked at his father pleadingly. He knew, like Goten, that he was too young to be taken seriously. Plus, Usagi had made him pinky swear not to tell anyone. But that didn't mean that he couldn't give hints, and if there was one thing his father was good at, it was being observant.  
  
Vegeta recognized his son's look. He knew there was something the boy wanted him to know.  
  
"Since what?"  
  
Trunks bit his lip and shrugged. Vegeta narrowed his eyes. Trunks couldn't tell him; that much was obvious.  
  
Bulma was oblivious to the exchange. "I hope the poor thing isn't sick. I wonder why Chichi didn't say anything about it. I hope she's better by tomorrow. It would be a shame for her to miss Open House at the school."  
  
I know that I shouldn't be starting another fic when I have not one but TWO unfinished stories that needed my more immediate attention. I started this fic when the ideas for Saiyajin no Oujo stemmed a little. This fic isn't done....chuckles not by any means. I have plans for this fic. So far, this fic will go into detail about the childhood of Usagi, Trunks, and Goten and how they've become inseparable through the hard lives of Z- members . It will span until they are 18....and believe me they will have quite a few adventures. I'm sorry that this first chappy was kind of depressing, but I think that it'll get better as it goes. If you haven't already guessed, this will be a Trunks/Usa romance...eventually.  
  
The reason that I hadn't submitted this in sooner was because I didn't want to have any pressure in finishing it....because, well as we can all see, that pressure on my writing kind of turns me off completing the story for some strange reason. It's not nearly completed, but I think that you'll have to keep that in mind as well as the long chapters. So have mercy please...I'm trying, and trying to balance AP courses, a boyfriend, job, my electronically cursed house, etc. Just give me a break, please. Katlin Grace  
  
NEway, I hope you enjoyed it and will review. Tell me what you liked, and what you think I could improve on. I'll try to update weekly on what I have. 


	2. Open House

Chapter 1  
  
They rang the doorbell. Usagi looked at the pale yellow door with dull eyes. It had been so long since she was forced to ring the doorbell of this house. For years now, ever since she could remember, she could walk freely through this door without a second thought.  
  
Now it was closed.  
  
A slight pressure on her hand brought her attention up to her big brother. His wild black hair framed his youthful face and enhanced the intense black eyes that were peering down at her. She quickly averted her gaze to the ground. Those eyes were so much like their mother's. Usagi shuddered. She feared those eyes. They were the only things she could honestly say she hated.  
  
The door opened and she spotted a pair of blue wool socks. Bulma. If there was one thing Usagi prided herself on, it was her ability to identify a person by their socks or shoes alone.  
  
"Come in you two! They're almost ready," came the cheerful feminine voice Usagi loved to hear. The woman took a step back in invitation.  
  
"I just came by to drop her off," the deep voice of one reaching into manhood sounded from next to her. She felt him shift and kneel before her. Two fingers reached out to tilt her head up from the ground.  
  
She flinched unconsciously. When she was face-to-face with her brother, she kept her gaze on the ground to keep from looking into those eyes. She shuddered again at the thought of them.  
  
"I'm sorry to do this to you kiddo, but they'll only let parents in." Gohan slid his gaze to her cheek. The bruise was pretty much gone thanks to her Saiyajin healing abilities. He was confident that only a Saiyajin's keen eyesight would be able to pick it up; no one at the school would notice.  
  
She could see the worried look in his eyes and the frown on his lips. He probably thought she was insane because she never looked him in the eyes. It hurt. Those eyes hurt her. She nodded mutely showing that she understood. He stood there a moment, unsure of what to do next. He was always nervous around her. That hurt too. There was a quick pat on her head before he took to the air leaving her in the company of the woman that had watched the exchange from the doorway.  
  
"Why don't you come in Usa? I baked some cookies earlier, and you can snack on them while you wait."  
  
Again, Usagi nodded. She closed her eyes and let her feet guide her to the kitchen blindly. When she opened them, she smiled proudly. She hadn't bumped into a single thing on her 'quest'. Her feet knew this mansion like the back of her hand.  
  
She climbed into the chair nearest to the tall glass of milk and the plate of cookies. The woman left. Usagi started at the glass table in silence.  
  
She took a single bite out of the cookie and carefully placed it back down. Her stomach grumbled in protest; she couldn't remember the last time she ate. She gritted her teeth and forced it to settle. Her mother had taught her the rules and the consequences there would be if they were broken.  
  
She knew that when offered food you only taste it as to not be rude. You never actually eat the food; that would make it seem like it was their obligation to feed you.  
  
Her attention focused on the glass table again. It was so fragile looking. Her fingertips slid across its cool surface. She wondered how much force it would take to shatter the fragility. How long could this glass hold against the outside world? It was safely tucked away in this home, cleaned regularly and looked after. What would happen if she leaned on it just a little harder? Would it shatter? Or would it stand unmoving?  
  
Her thoughts were broken by the comforting sounds of the catfight breaking out between husband and wife in the next room. "I still don't see why I have to go! I am the Prince of all Saiyajins! This congregation of lesser beings is of no concern to me. I demand to be returned to my training at once!" a deep, smoky voice forced the walls to vibrate.  
  
"Can it with all of the royalty crap! You know I have a dinner conference with the heads of all the major departments to go to. How would it look if the CEO of the company didn't show up? Otherwise I would take the kids. You're going, and that's the end of it!"  
  
"Kids?! As in more that one? Have you cracked onna? Have you finally turned senile? We only have one brat."  
  
"You're taking Usagi too."  
  
There was a long silence.  
  
"And before you say anything, it would take Chichi forever and a day to drive down here, and she would still have to cook dinner for the boys. They will only let parents in, so Gohan can't take her."  
  
There was another long pause.  
  
Usagi bit her lip and blinked back tears. She hated this. Trunks's family had always done so much for her. She felt so useless. They all probably thought she was some kind of third wheel that was forced into their lives, and she was.  
  
The glass table began to blur under her gaze. They had accepted her without question or complaint. She closed her eyes and willed her tears away. Saiyajins didn't cry. Vegeta would be disappointed. One day. One day she would pay them back for everything they had done for her. One day she would make them proud.  
  
"Well, where is the brat?" the deep voice asked after a few minutes. There were more footsteps before the swinging door of the kitchen opened to admit two adults.  
  
Usagi kept her gaze on the glass table as the familiar weight of their combined gazes fell on her. It was strange: knowing you're being watched. Her gaze didn't waver. She didn't need to look up to know what they looked like.  
  
The woman from before, Bulma, would have bright teal hair that was always pulled into the latest wacky fashion. Her blue eyes, which were usually bubbling with barely-restrained energy, would be subdued as they looked at her.  
  
The man with the deep voice, Vegeta, would have gravity defying hair that reached to the sky like angels would reach to heaven. His cold black eyes would be either expressionless or painted over with a gloss of annoyance.  
  
Vegeta looked at the small girl who seemed to be staring off into space. She looked so small and fragile sitting all alone at the long table with nothing to keep her company but a tall glass of milk and plate of a dozen cookies. His stomach growled even though it had recently fed. Saiyajins were always hungry. It was a known fact. Then why is she just sitting there? And why isn't she eating?  
  
He could tell by her posture that she was thinking about something important. His eyes narrowed. There was something different about her. She was thinner, as if she hadn't eaten in days. There was an aura around her that depicted sadness and vulnerability: characteristics uncommon for a Saiyajin, even a half-breed.  
  
His eyes were drawn to a bandage wrapped on her arm. When did that happen?  
  
This child confused him. She went against everything that a Saiyajin should be. She had no interest in mastering the fighting arts. She kept to herself most of the time, voicing little of her opinions on things. Her movements were thought out and calculated, a skill that would be invaluable in battle, but were wasted doing meaningless tasks. She followed orders without a second thought, lacking a Saiyajin's rebellious streak. Even her appearance was unnatural. Her blond hair and blue eyes went against a Saiyajin's typical black or brown hair and ebony eyes. Granted his son's hair was lavender, but both her parents had black hair. Even he, the clever Saiyajin Prince, had yet to figure her out.  
  
Usagi could tell that they were waiting on her. She quickly slipped from the chair and walked to stand next to the shoed warrior. She recognized those shoes as the ones Bulma forced him to wear when they went to public places. She snuck a peek at the teal-haired genius to find that the woman was looking at the unfinished plate of cookies and untouched glass of milk with concern.  
  
She had followed the rule, hadn't she? Her eyes widened in horror. She had forgotten to take a sip of the milk! Usagi bowed her head and stilled herself for the punishment. Silence reigned.  
  
"How have you been, Usagi?" came a concerned feminine voice above her. Usagi blinked in surprise and almost made the mistake of looking up. Instead, she kept her gaze locked on the woman's fuzzy socks.  
  
"I'm fine, thank you." Her response was just as she had been taught, not too long as to bore the listeners and not too short as to sound curt. There was another silence where she could practically feel them exchange glances.  
  
Vegeta knelt down much like Gohan had. She shifted nervously. Vegeta had never punished her before; she wondered how much it would hurt. He reached forward and gripped her chin, tilting it up and to the side. It was strange. She didn't flinch under his touch. She felt safe near him. Strange indeed.  
  
Even though her feelings were different, she didn't forget the rules. Her eyes still looked away from his. Vegeta reached up and lightly touched her cheek. She winced in pain; it was still tender.  
  
"What happened here?"  
  
She blinked in surprise. Wasn't he going to punish her? Maybe it's a trick. "I fell down when Goten and I were playing yesterday."  
  
Vegeta narrowed his eyes. She was lying. She obviously didn't know that he knew she had been asleep for days. Then how did she get that bruise and the cut on her arm? And why is she lying about it? His brow crinkled in thought. They were just more pieces to the puzzle.  
  
That was all he was going to get from her at the moment, so he stood and looked around with a frown. "When is that brat going to grace us with his presence? I don't have all night to wait for him to take his dear sweet time!"  
  
Usagi blinked. They seem to have forgotten her punishment. She sighed with relief. That was lucky. A moment later, a third pair of feet, her favorite pair, stepped up next her. She glanced up and smiled when her eyes locked with the gentle eyes of her best friend in the entire universe, Trunks.  
  
He looked at her with worry before slipping his hand in hers and giving it a small squeeze. She squeezed back.  
  
"About time, Brat. I was about to drop this whole human cult thing and go back to train."  
  
Bulma glared at him. "It is not a human cult!" she screeched in outrage. "It is a function that the school holds which allows new students and their parents to familiarize themselves with the classroom and their teacher."  
  
Vegeta rolled his eyes, "School? Cult? What's the difference? You just want to keep me busy with this shit while you sneak off to your harem of other men. 'Heads of major departments', ha! Yeah, I'll bet you've seen their heads, both of them."  
  
Bulma gasped.  
  
Usagi grinned and relaxed. She never knew why, but the couple's heated squabbles calmed her. This was familiar to her. She had grown up on these two fighting. There was another squeeze of her hand; she looked at Trunks. His purple hair was cut into the latest boyish style. He was dressed nicely for the occasion and she could smell that he had taken a bath.  
  
He grinned when he noticed her looking him over. "I know I look good, you don't have to say it." She giggled and shook her head when he started to spin around like she had seen models do on TV. His comment seemed to break to two adults from their argument.  
  
"Trunks!" his mother screamed. "You're too young to be thinking about things like that." Vegeta simply smirked proudly. "Will you three leave? I'm already late for the conference as it is."  
  
They all started to make for the door. Usagi stopped and gazed back at the glass table that stood in the kitchen. She paused for a moment in thought. She had decided the glass table wouldn't shatter so long as there was something strong underneath to support it. With a smile and a nod of satisfaction, she grabbed Trunks' hand and squeezed it.  
  
Vegeta led the flying trio. Usagi was staring ahead blankly. She really didn't want to do this. "Usa?" It was Trunks. "Are you okay after...?"  
  
She could feel Vegeta listening in. She turned her dull eyes to stare at Trunks for a long moment. She always told him everything. Only he knew outside of the family. He was always there: comforting her, cleaning her up, letting her cry. She didn't answer.  
  
"It happened again didn't it?" Trunks gently questioned. He knew that his father was eavesdropping and wanted to give him as much information as possible.  
  
"Yeah, but I'll live," she offered to appease the silence and the curious Vegeta.  
  
Before long, they touched down in a parking lot. This building was obviously old since it still had them. Ever since Bulma's father invented capsules to compact everything, parking lots had become obsolete.  
  
They walked in silence. Usagi hated this. She hated meeting new people. They always took one look at her and thought: So helpless. So stupid. So useless. They always judged. Her pace slowed as her thoughts became darker. It hurt her to know that strangers would think of her like that. Strangers – people she didn't know and that didn't know her. But who really did? Trunks. Goten. And that was it. If strangers judged her, she had to wonder what her family thought.  
  
Her little brother was her support at home. It seemed that she was more like the glass table from earlier. Eventually her pillars of strength would vanish and she would fall. And shatter.  
  
As her pace slowed, so did Trunks's. Before they knew it, Vegeta was at least a hundred feet ahead and out of earshot. "What happened?" Trunks asked again.  
  
She snapped out of her thoughts and looked around startled. Where was she? She looked into her best friend's comforting blue eyes, the only eyes she could look straight into, and sighed. She was too young for all of this. "Mama said that since school was starting I needed to know some new rules. She said that I didn't take anything ser-seriously," she stumbled over the long word, "and that if I didn't start then bad things would happen. She- She—"Usagi stopped and closed her eyes.  
  
Trunks seemed to understand. He gripped her hand tighter and pulled her closer. Vegeta waited at the door and growled in annoyance when they finally stepped up to his side. "About time brats—"he stopped mid rant when he caught sight of their faces. "Let's just get this over with."  
  
They stepped from the comforting warmth of the outside to the frigid air- conditioned building. Usagi gripped Trunks' hand almost desperately as they entered what was starting to look more and more like a cage that was meant to keep her from her little brother and the freedom she felt when she was outside enjoying nature. She really didn't want to be here.  
  
Trunks seemed to sense her uneasiness and immediately slipped into his charming attitude to cheer her up. "I know you hate this," he started and gave her a confident smile. "No one's going to mess with you if they don't want to get pounded into the ground by fist #1-," he held up his left fist, "-and fist #2," he said and held up his right one.  
  
Usagi smiled. He always knew what she was thinking and just how to make her feel better. He was her Prince Charming. She giggled at the picture of Trunks riding up in a white horse and rescuing her from her evil mother. It happened in the Disney movies, so why couldn't it happen now?  
  
"What are you giggling about?" he asked.  
  
"You're my prince," as stated as if it were the answer to all of the world's problems. She leaned up and gave him a peck on the cheek. Trunks blushed furiously and looked at the floor.  
  
Vegeta snorted and rolled his eyes at the two. Usagi giggled again she flew up in front of the dark-haired prince. "I didn't forget about you, Veggie." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pecked him on the cheek. "Since Trunks is my prince you get to be the King!" she said excitedly.  
  
Vegeta raised an eyebrow.  
  
"-And Bulma can be the Queen and we can live in a big white castle with lots of servants and horses and flowers! And then we all live happily ever after forever and ever!" she finished as she floated down to stand next to Trunks.  
  
Vegeta shook his head and stared at her in horror. "If that happens, I'll shoot myself."  
  
Usagi giggled at his comment. He could be funny when he tried to be. Trunks grabbed her hand, and together the trio marched through the halls, following the handmade signs, until they came upon a classroom that was humming with chatter.  
  
Before they stepped into the room, Usagi quickly scooted behind Trunks. When they set foot in the room, all of the adults turned to look. It was like, unconsciously, they knew that the new guests were royalty and demanded their attention. Even some of the children stopped what they were doing to stare in awe. It's funny how the world works sometimes.  
  
After a moment of respectful silence, a woman with soft brunette locks and kind green eyes approached them. The woman resisted the urge to bow and smiled instead. She nodded to Vegeta before squatting down to Trunks's level. "Hello. My name's Ms. Plumb, and I am going to be your first grade teacher this year. What's your name?" she began, slowly pronouncing every word a little longer than necessary as if he couldn't understand what she was saying.  
  
Trunks felt Usagi grip the back of his shirt tighter and could feel her pressing against him in fear. "Why do you care?"  
  
The woman blinked a few times in shock. "I'm your teacher, of course I care."  
  
Trunks didn't look amused. He crossed his arms and glared defiantly upward. Vegeta smirked when he saw his son's stance. He really had too much influence on the boy. "It's none of your business. Besides, I don't listen to baka onnas."  
  
Vegeta snickered when he saw the woman's face. It was priceless.  
  
"Now young man, who taught you such language?"  
  
Trunks grinned, "That's not bad language; that's the truth. Besides, I know a lot of worse words, some I'm sure even you don't know about."  
  
Vegeta grinned proudly. That's my son!  
  
Ms. Plumb looked appalled at the boy who had obviously never been taught manners. She turned to his father looking for help. "Sir, could you possibly tell me his name?"  
  
Vegeta eyed the woman like something he would find sticking to the bottom of his boots. "The boy can speak. He doesn't need me to tell baka onnas his own name. And if he doesn't want to listen to your sugarcoated greetings, then it's perfectly fine with me. My son it not an idiot snot nose whiny crap machine like the rest of the infants stinking up this room—"  
  
Trunks grinned. Did he ever say how much he loved his father at moments like these? He could hear Usagi giggle from behind him. He smiled. It was about time she was happy.  
  
"—And if I find out that you are treating him like one, then I won't hesitate to blow this cult gathering into the next dimension."  
  
Ms. Plumb stood and tried not to cower from the man's gaze. She now knew that the boy not only lacked the teachings of common courtesy, but he was also raised by barbarians. "Is that a bomb threat, sir? I'll have you know that such threats are highly punishable."  
  
Vegeta smirked and was about to respond when a giggle stopped him. Both he and the teacher looked down at Trunks. Ms. Plumb looked at the boy and for the first time noticed that there was an extra set of feet behind him. "Well young man, if you won't tell me your name, then how about the name of your friend?"  
  
She watched with curiosity as the boy stiffened and drew himself up to his tallest height. He glared at her and a low growl was heard in the back of his throat. She took a step back in fear. That was the first time she encountered the fierceness of the boy's protectiveness, and she would remember it till her dying day.  
  
When the teacher asked about Usagi, Trunks felt her tense up behind him and could hear her whimper. She was pressed up against him so tightly that he could feel her shaking. Something inside of him snapped. He knew that he would do whatever it took in his power to protect her.  
  
"Trunks. My name is Trunks. And you'd do well to remember it baka onna, because I won't say it again."  
  
Ms. Plumb turned her attention to the clipboard she was holding and skimmed over the names. "Briefs, Trunks," she paused thoughtfully. "It doesn't say you have another family member in the class." Her brow creased in confusion. While she was lost in her own thoughts, she didn't hear the other conversation going on down below.  
  
Usagi still had her face pressed against Trunks' shirt. "Does she look mean?"  
  
There was silence as he studied the woman that was talking to herself. "No. She looks a little crazy but not mean."  
  
Usagi giggled. "Crazy?"  
  
Trunks grinned and nodded, "She's talking to herself right now, baka onna. I can tell that we are going to have fun messing with her head."  
  
There was a pause. "Should I come out and say hi?"  
  
Trunks was surprised, "You don't have to if you don't want to. I can take care of her no prob." He felt her arms wrap around his waist - over his tail - and snuggled against his back.  
  
"No, I think I want to."  
  
Trunks nodded and felt her take his hand again.  
  
Ms. Plumb, who had been talking to herself, watched as two long, pale arms wound their way around the boy's waist, right over his brown belt. She saw the boy's eyes widen at something the person said. Her curiosity peeked when she saw the person grab onto Trunks's hand and braced herself for another rude barbarian. She was not prepared for the delicate looking child who cried out to all of the maternal instincts inside of her.  
  
Usagi curiously looked at the woman's shoes. She giggled when she saw heels that had red apples and pencils printed in every spot. Her happiness didn't last as she quickly remembered the rules that went with meeting strangers. One of her hands kept a tight hold on Trunks's, while the other gripped the side of her sky blue dress. With the grace that would make any well-bred princess turn green, she curtsied low to the floor.  
  
"My name is Son Usagi. It's nice to meet you, Plumb-sensei." She stayed in her curtsy for a moment before quickly slipping behind Trunks again.  
  
Ms. Plumb quickly kneeled. "Don't be afraid of me. Come out, sweetie," she gently coaxed.  
  
Trunks glared and reached a hand behind him to keep Usagi pressed against him. "She doesn't take orders from you."  
  
Ms. Plumb looked at the boy kindly. Now she knew why he was being so rude. He's protecting her. How kawaii!  
  
Trunks turned to his father. "Okay. We met our baka sensei. Can we go now?" he whined.  
  
Vegeta sighed and glared at the teacher as if it were all her fault. "No. Your mother wants us to stay for the whole thing."  
  
Trunks groaned loudly voicing his protests. "Why can't we leave and just tell her that we were here?"  
  
Vegeta growled, "She's going to call and make sure we really did stay."  
  
Trunks rolled his eyes. His mother made rules about the stupidest things. "Great," he said dully. "I'm stuck here with a bunch of sniveling bakas and a sensei who thinks she can order people around."  
  
"I wasn't ordering," Ms. Plumb snapped at him, thoroughly irritated with being ignored. Trunks glared harder when he felt Usagi clutch his shirt tighter at the tone of the lady's voice. "Why aren't her parents here?" she thought aloud.  
  
Vegeta stepped between her kneeling form and Trunks. "Because her father is dead, and her bitchy mother is too busy babying her other brats to care about this one."  
  
Ms. Plumb nodded. Poor girl. She lost her father at such a young age.  
  
"And one more thing," Vegeta waited until he had the woman's full attention. "If you or any of these brainless drooling ass wipes so much as look at her in a wrong way and I hear about it, I won't hesitate to let Trunks beat your sorry ass so far into the ground you won't be able to shit straight—"  
  
Trunks grinned. His Dad had a way with words. Did he already say how much he loved his father?  
  
"—and if you're still alive after that, then I won't hesitate to kill you, understand? Then, I'll get my mate to sue this school for so much money your future great grand kids will forget what food looks like. Am I getting through your dense female mind? Don't mess with either of the brats or deal with me."  
  
Ms. Plumb's eyes went wide. The man was serious. She looked down at Trunks and found that he had a bloodthirsty smirk printed on his face, matching the one of the older man. For the first time in her life, she was truly scared witless. These two mean business. She nodded quickly as to not tempt either of their wraths. "F-Feel free t-to look-k around," and then she scurried away as fast as she could without raising suspicion.  
  
"That was wicked cool, Dad!" Trunks grinned up at his father with adoration shining through his eyes.  
  
Vegeta rolled his eyes when he saw his son's look. "Whatever. She just needed to be put in her place."  
  
Usagi giggled and peeked out from over Trunks' shoulder. "That was funny Veggie, but I think you scared her."  
  
Vegeta shrugged and kneeled down to look at them. "If that baka onna or any of these brats bother you, tell me and I'll take care of it." They nodded. Usagi slowly looked around, carefully avoiding eye contact with the adults. They seemed to be returning the favor.  
  
Her attention was immediately caught by a little yellow butterfly that was resting against the window. After looking around to make sure the coast was clear, she let go of Trunks' hand and slowly walked to the window.  
  
Trunks immediately averted his attention from the small boy his age who was wailing and throwing a fit about a candy bar to his friend walking slowly to the wall. What's she doing? He asked himself.  
  
Usagi paused and stood stiff. Her head was swimming. After shaking it trying to get rid of the little blue swirls dotting her vision, she started forward again. She carefully scooped the small creature off the wall. Trunks watched as she started to whisper into her cupped hands. Usagi laughed as the butterfly flapped its way out of her hands and landed on her nose.  
  
Trunks smiled softly at the scene. Trust Usa to make friends with a bug.  
  
Usagi greedily sucked in her breath. Her head was swimming again. With a small groan she rested her palm flat against the wall for support. Her knees seemed to have turned to jelly, and her whole body ached.  
  
Trunks watched her sway. He stepped forward with a crease in his brow. Something wasn't right. He could feel it. Usagi let go of the wall to grip her head as a wave of pain washed over her. Big mistake. Suddenly the room gave a lurch and her world tilted violently.  
  
"Usagi!" Trunks screamed when he saw her crumple to the ground. His call immediately brought all attention to him, but he ignored them and was at her side in a flash. Panic filled his eyes as he grabbed her shoulders and started to shake her gently. Her response was a moan of pain. "Usa! What's wrong? What happened?" What happened? He mentally repeated. She was laughing at the bug one minute, and then she just fell down.  
  
He could feel his father kneeling beside him, but he didn't care. All he wanted to know was if Usagi was alright.  
  
"Brat, wake up!" came Vegeta's harsh voice. Usagi's eyes opened to a slit and looked around at all of the blurry smudges before another wave of dizziness washed over her.  
  
Trunks looked down at her bandaged arm and quickly tore off the cloth, thinking that her wound was hurting her. Vegeta's eyes caught sight of the deep, angry gash that had already started to heal. His anger flared. Who the hell did that to her?! But even in his enraged state he noticed that that wasn't what had caused her to collapse. Then what did?  
  
"Excuse me! Let me through! I'm a doctor." One of the parents rushed to the front of the crowd. The medic took one look at the moaning girl and gasped. "When was the last time this girl ate?!" A murmur swept across the crowd as they each turned accusing glares to Vegeta.  
  
He just crossed his arms and returned their glares tenfold. "What?! I'm not the brat's father." The crowd blinked.  
  
Trunks paid them no mind. "Usa," he called softly. "What happened?" He saw her glazed eyes open and then close again.  
  
"Mama," Trunks moved closer so he could hear. "She – She wouldn't let me eat when I woke up," came Usagi's weak reply. Trunks' growl caught everyone's attention. He was glaring into empty space. Some people in the crowd shuddered. If looks could kill....Hell if looks could slowly burn someone alive, then Trunks' glare would have had a small mountain of ash at his feet.  
  
"She hasn't eaten in four fucking days!" he shouted accusingly at the space in front of him. Vegeta's eyes widened. For a Saiyajin that was like two weeks.  
  
The doctor/parent looked down at the girl withering in pain, "She needs to get to a hospital pronto!" The man moved to pick her up, but Trunks' growl stopped him in his tracks.  
  
"Don't touch her!"  
  
Vegeta was on his feet in a flash, his son's outburst having broken him from his murderous thoughts. He snorted, "A pathetic hospital won't be necessary. My onna will take care of her." He was going to pick Usagi up when he noticed his son's protective grip on her. "Bring her, Brat."  
  
Everyone's eyebrows shot up and their mouths dropped to the floor as they watched the small boy lift the girl effortlessly in his arms. He wasn't even straining and looked as if he barely felt her weight.  
  
He's strong for a kid was the collective thought from the parents. Ms. Plumb gulped and moved further back into the shadows. After witnessing this, she really didn't want to mess with the either of them.  
  
Vegeta walked out of the room followed closely by his son. "Go Super. We need to get home fast." Trunks nodded and in a burst of gold the two flew as fast as they could through the night.  
  
Trunks looked down at the pale girl in his arms. Please be okay. Please... They barely touched the well-manicured lawn when they landed. With the speed only a Saiyajin could posses, they were in the lab and Trunks was gently laying Usagi's shivering form on the white bed. The sterile scent of the lab made her nose flare but, otherwise, went unnoticed as she groaned in pain.  
  
Vegeta looked at his son and snapped, "Go and get the onna." Trunks chewed on his lip. He didn't want to leave her. "NOW!"  
  
Trunks nodded and gave the shaking girl one last look before disappearing out the door. He ran as fast as he could in his normal form through his house to the business side of Capsule Corp. He wasn't aloud in this part unless it was an emergency.  
  
When Trunks' grandfather started Capsule Corporation, now the most successful company in the world, he didn't want to be separated from his precious inventions for any length of time. So instead of managing the financial and business aspects of his company in the building across town, he added on a whole new section to his already mansion-sized home. After all, why did he have to go to work when his work could come to him?  
  
The dinner his mother mentioned earlier was held in the more classy part of the main building. Without a care, he barged in as loudly as possible. He passed all of the shocked men in expensive, dull business suits without a word. Bulma looked at her son with some irritation. He just had to interrupt when she got to the punch line of her favorite joke.  
  
"Trunks, sweetie, what are you doing back so early? I told Vegeta to stay for the entire thing!" She cursed her husband mentally while kneeling in her bright teal skirt before her son.  
  
"We were going to!" Trunks defended his father. "Then Usa fell down and the baka doctor person said she needed to go to the hospital! And she hasn't eaten in four fucking days!"  
  
Bulma was about to reprimand her son for his language when his confusing explanation sunk in. "What?! Where is she?"  
  
"The lab."  
  
Without a second thought to the confused men at the table, the duo ran out of the room. While they were running, Bulma looked down at her son. "Trunks I want you to go and get the Sons. They'll want to know what's happened."  
  
"But—"  
  
"No arguing. Do it now!"  
  
Trunks sighed. Sometimes his mother could be scarier then his father. With a nod, he burst into his Super form and disappeared down a hallway.  
  
A few minutes later Trunks, Goten, and Gohan carrying Chichi landed in the front yard of Capsule Corp. Gohan quickly deposited his mother before racing across the yard following the two boys into the house.  
  
"Don't leave me out here by myself!"  
  
The woman's screeching was nothing more than a whisper to Trunks' fleeting back. He ran as fast as he could, expertly weaving through the maze of halls leading to the lab. Through the haze of single-mindedness, he could vaguely feel Goten and Gohan following close on his heels. All he could think of was seeing Usagi. Finally, he reached the end of the hallway and stopped in front of two white double doors.  
  
His breath caught when he saw Usagi's frail form blending in with the white sheets. Her right arm was propped up on top of the sheets, leaving the attached IV unhindered. Trunks jumped up on the bed to sit on her left while Goten occupied the spot to her right.  
  
She looked so small huddled under the sheets and sinking into her pillows. Neither of the boys made a sound as they watched the covers rise and fall with each breath she took. Her eyes were closed in sleep and she looked peaceful and innocent. Goten laid down and carefully wrapped an arm around her.  
  
Gohan stood back and watched as the two boys cuddled on either side of her. It almost seemed as if they thought they could protect her from everything as long as they were there.  
  
Bulma stepped up next to him. "She is suffering from severe malnourishment, and will have to be fed through an IV until she gets her strength back. She hasn't consumed any form of sustenance in four days. For a human that wouldn't be too serious, but for a Saiyajin..." she trailed off letting his mind fill in the blank. The woman took a look in the teen's eyes and gasped immediately drawing the attention of Vegeta, who was lurking in the shadows observing every minute detail. "You knew about this!"  
  
Gohan bowed his head in shame. "I thought she could hold out until she came home," he admitted in a small voice. Vegeta gritted his teeth and glared. He wouldn't have thought the boy could be that stupid.  
  
"But you knew! Why hasn't she eaten? Why didn't you tell us? I could have made her dinner or something. Why-"Bulma's interrogation was cut short when Chichi barged into the room. The two double doors crashed into the wall violently, making the room's occupants wince. Trunks glared at the woman when he felt Usagi stir slightly before falling back into her dreamless sleep.  
  
Chichi glared at Gohan. "I can't believe you left me out there all by myself! I had to walk across the entire lawn!" she growled out. She violently gestured to her shoes, "And now these are covered in mud! Do you know how long it's going to take to wash them?!"  
  
Trunks jumped from the bed and stalked up to the raging woman. He stood defiantly, glaring up at the woman much like he did his teacher not two hours before. The only difference was that this time he held a deep abhorrence for the object of his gaze. Vegeta noticed that his son was trembling with rage.  
  
"Shut the hell up!" Everyone looked down at the child in shock.  
  
Goten rushed forward and grabbed Trunks' shoulder before he could say anything else. "Just let it be, Trunks. It's not worth it." Goten continued in a small whisper when he saw that he his friend wasn't listening. "She'll get hurt if you do."  
  
Vegeta raised an eyebrow. What is that supposed to mean?  
  
Trunks paused in his rage to think about what Goten said. Then his rage took over again. After all, he is his father's son. "I don't care," he said to his friend before turning righteously back to the black-haired woman.  
  
"Your daughter, Usagi, is laying half dead on the bed and all you can say is that your fucking shoes are dirty! And you can't even be quiet when you're saying that! What kind of mother are you?" He paused and looked at the sputtering woman. His rage seemed to be spent. With a serene voice, he spoke as if it was the only thing that mattered in the world. "One that doesn't care. You don't care. You are no mother."  
  
A heavy silence was all that answered his question. Chichi snarled, "What would you know? You're just a little seven-year old pipsqueak that has a monkey for a father."  
  
Trunks noticed that her hand was clenching and unclenching while shaking violently. He looked up at her and smirked. "Hit me. I dare you. You're not my mother, so I won't think twice about hitting back. So go ahead. I. Dare. You," he repeated. His smirk widened when she didn't answer his challenge. He felt satisfied. He had wanted to tell this woman off for as long as he could remember.  
  
Chichi roughly shoved him out of her way as she walked quickly to the bed. She felt like she has lost to a child, and that made her angry. The black- haired woman looked down at the pale girl slumbering away. A rage like no other swept through her like wildfire.  
  
How dare she sleep like the world isn't good enough for her presence! How dare she cause me such embarrassment. How dare she look so innocent when she's just a manipulative brat that wants everything. With the last thought she reached out and tightly wrapped her hand around the wrist nearest her, the one connected to the IV. With a quick jerk, she forcibly hauled the girl halfway to a sitting position.  
  
Usagi's eyes snapped open at the harsh treatment. Goten saw, from his seat beside her, the confusion in her blue eyes. "Wha-," Usagi's confusion soon settled into fear, which didn't go unnoticed by Vegeta, when she saw who had abruptly ended her rest. She winced in pain as the grip on her wrist tightened.  
  
Chichi noticed her look, "Oh that doesn't hurt you so don't even try to fake it. After all, you're part of that monkey race—,"  
  
Vegeta growled in warning.  
  
"—so you're supposed to be stronger than us weak little humans." As the last words fell from her lips, she tightened her grip as hard as it would go. Usagi whimpered when she felt the needled of the IV dig deeper into her vein. Chichi's lips twitched into a wicked grin that only Usagi could see as she started to grind her palm back and forth against her wrist. Tears of pain weld up in her eyes as she felt the needle slice through her vain and the skin of her wrist.  
  
Goten paled when he saw blood start to outline his mother's fingers. He felt like puking when he saw it start to drip from her clinched knuckles. Soon all of Chichi's fingers were crimson, coated with a layer of blood. Chichi hauled Usagi up from the bed and didn't relinquish her hold even as the small girl collapsed on the floor bringing the IV with her. Usagi's vision was blurring again and the sounds around her became one string of indecipherable noise. If she was going to leave this room, she was going to have to be dragged.  
  
"Stand up!" the woman bellowed. "You aren't that weak."  
  
But I am, Usagi thought. I am weak. Her vision started to cloud again.  
  
Trunks was the first one to snap out of his stupor. With Saiyajin speed, he leapt forward and pried their hands apart. Chichi screamed in outrage as the contact was broken.  
  
Trunks stood defiantly in front of Usagi's crumpled form. "I dare you," was all he said to remind her of his earlier challenge.  
  
Chichi was about to damn the consequences and smack the boy into next week when she saw his father take a warning step forward. So, she had to be content with glaring at the purple-haired Saiyajin hybrid.  
  
After Trunks shot her a superior grin, he grabbed Usagi and carefully hovered her back onto the bed. It was then that her tears broke. She clutched at her best friend's shirt and let loose all of the tears of pain, confusion, and betrayal that she felt coursing through her. The emotional tears leaked out of her as fast as the blood gushing from her wrist.  
  
"I will not stay here and continue to be humiliated," Chichi spoke to the room's occupants. "Gohan, Goten we're leaving." Gohan nodded sadly and looked at his sister's heaving back with regret.  
  
Goten looked to his mother's retreating form, to his sobbing sister and back again. "No."  
  
Chichi gasped in shock and paused in her retreat. "No?" her tongue rolled over the word, extending it for a moment as if she had never before heard such a syllable.  
  
Goten drew himself to his full height and squared his shoulders ready to fight to the death. "No. I'm staying. I want to see if Usagi's okay."  
  
Bulma watched her best friend turn slowly to face the small boy. The blue- haired genius blinked in shock when she saw the other woman completely flip her personality. Goten blinked in confusion when he saw his mother smile kindly down at him. "Don't worry about her, Goten. I'll tell you what. If you come home, I'll make you a big dinner and you and your brother can help me make dessert." Can we say bipolar?  
  
Goten was starting to get really confused. How can she be so mean and then turn so nice? This was starting to give him a headache. He didn't know which to choose. In one hand, he really wanted to make sure his sister was okay, and in the other he didn't want to make his mother mad again.  
  
Gohan took pity on his younger brother, "Goten, let's go home. You can come to check on Usagi tomorrow." Goten slowly nodded and climbed off of the bed.  
  
Chichi grinned down at Trunks superiorly and was tempted to blow him a raspberry. She had won this round. With her head high and her nose up, she marched from the room as if the entire human race owed her something just for being born.  
  
Goten paused at the door when he noticed his older brother not following him. "Aren't you coming Gohan?"  
  
"I'll be there in a minute." Goten nodded and slipped out of the room. Gohan turned back to his sobbing sister with pity in his eyes. He would hate to be in her position. When he reached to touch her shoulder, she shied away, as if he would hurt her too. Gohan flinched at his sister's behavior. I've never hurt her, he thought with certainty. "Usagi...I-"  
  
"Just go," her fierce whisper cut through his deep baritone voice like a hot knife through butter. He blinked in shock. Why is she so mad at me? I didn't do anything.  
  
Trunks saw that the teen was about to protest and spoke up quickly. "Gohan, you should leave." Gohan was his friend and all, but the older boy just didn't understand. Trunks promised himself he would protect Usagi, and if that was against an enemy or her family then so be it. Gohan nodded slowly and stood. He cast one more pity-filled gaze at his sister before leaving the room in silence.  
  
Bulma sat for a long moment. She was stunned and shocked at the way her best friend had just acted. Denial crept up in her mind and she did what she always did when she just saw something she didn't want to see: she erased it from her memory. What she didn't know, or didn't remember, was something she didn't have to worry about. With that being her favorite philosophy, she always remained cheerful and bubbly. Her genius and forgetfulness helped her cope with the death and other problems that came with being married to a member of the Earth's Special Forces.  
  
The Saiyajin prince remained in the shadows deep in thought long after Gohan took his leave. Vegeta knew that his best weapon was his mind and after years of battle he had mastered that weapon. His memory soaked up what had just occurred and stored it away to ponder over the next time he was training in the Gravity Room. He had found early in life that training was the time his mind was working at its max. When he lost himself in his problem, he wouldn't be able to feel his fatigue or pain thus allowing him to push himself longer and harder. The more difficult the problem the longer it took to solve, the longer he trained, the stronger he became.  
  
So, needless to say, he was overjoyed when his son practically gave him his hardest problem yet: the mystery of the Son household. He had a good idea of what was going on, but there was more to it than that. For him to completely understand he had to solve the complexity that was one child, Son Usagi. If there was one thing he knew least about it was small children, girl children. He shuddered. He had to get into her mind and put himself into her shoes, but didn't have the slightest clue as to how to do that. But, he grinned, if there was one thing he loved it was a challenge.  
  
Trunks, oblivious to his father's thoughts, ran a hand up and down Usagi's shaking back soothingly. He wished he could do more. I wish I could pound Chichi so hard... he let his mind dwell on all of the possibilities of her torture. But there was one thing he still didn't know, that none of them knew, was why. Why? He knew that Chichi hurt Usagi. Not Goten or Gohan, just Usagi. He didn't know why though.  
  
Not that it mattered one way or another to him. She can have the best excuse in the world, she can even be crazy, but that won't stop me from giving back what she dished out, tenfold. He grinned evilly and let his mind once again return to the possibilities. Oh the possibilities.  
  
His thoughts were cut short when he noticed a heavier weight pressed against him. His head snapped down and immediately noticed that Usagi's sobs were silent and she laid still, dead weight in his arms. She looked almost asleep, but somehow he knew otherwise. He shook her gently but stopped short when he noticed that the front of his shirt had a thick winding trail of blood imprinted on it. Her blood, his mind supplied. There is so much of her blood.  
  
With a click, his mind snapped into focus and he started to shake her again. "Usa?" She didn't respond. "Usa?!" He had to wake her up. Then she would look at him with her sparkling blue eyes and tell him that she was okay and that this was all just a long, bad dream. "USA?!"  
  
His mother was at his side in a flash. Bulma grabbed Usagi's limp arm and hastily swiped some blood off where her wrist was. Immediately the clean area was replaced with more red liquid, but Bulma still got a good look at the damage. "Shit!"  
  
Vegeta stepped forward with a frown. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Besides the fact that every vein in her wrist has been sliced and that she's practically covered in her own blood, she's unconscious," she yelled sarcastically at her husband.  
  
"So that means...?" the dark-haired man started slowly.  
  
Bulma groaned in frustration at his inability to comprehend. "It means that she needs to get to a hospital NOW!" She snatched the small girl from her son's arms, much to his protest, and dumped her in her husband's.  
  
Vegeta looked down at the bleeding hybrid strangely. He wasn't really comfortable with holding children, girl children, that weren't his. "What the fuck? Why the hell do I have to take her?!" he screamed at the woman who was now busy writing a letter. He growled when she ignored him.  
  
"Here," she said snatching the paper up and folding it in half. "When you get to the hospital, give this to the ladies at the front desk and they'll get her taken care of."  
  
Vegeta was about to protest, but she shoved the paper in his mouth before he could utter a sound. He just glared and gritted his teeth against the halved paper.  
  
She glared back, "What are you waiting for? A police escort? Leave!" The prince growled and didn't move. Bulma gritted her teeth in frustration. How stubborn can he get? "Or would you rather stand here and let the only remaining female of your race bleed to death all over you?"  
  
Vegeta sighed, turned super, and ran out of the house at top speed. He may be stubborn, but his race came before his pride. A few minutes later, he landed at the entrance of the towering hospital and walked through the spinning doors. He frowned sourly when he saw that the front desk was littered with various assortments of flowers and get-well gifts. A blue teddy bear grinned at him as he walked up. He frowned harder scaring the blond sitting at the computer.  
  
"C-Can I help you, sir?"  
  
Vegeta shifted his burning gaze to her. She shifted uncomfortably. "I will never need your help, weakling. But the brat is another story," he nodded down to the bundle in his arms. The blond blinked in surprise. She started to curse at herself for not noticing the injured girl who was dripping blood on the marble floor.  
  
Vegeta handed her the note Bulma had written. He watched with amusement as her eyes widened, and she jumped to snatch up a phone. She hurriedly pushed a few buttons, "I need assistance in the front lobby stat!"  
  
Not a minute later, a group of people in green – some in white – ran from down one of the branching hallways and placed Usagi on a stretcher before wheeling her away. Vegeta blinked. So humans can be fast when they want to be.  
  
"Sir, you're going to have to take a seat and fill out some forms." He grumbled and crossed his arms as he waited for Bulma and Trunks to show up. There was no way he was doing paperwork.  
  
Okay, I just want to let everyone know that I have about 7 or 8 chapters of this fic written, and believe me, it is nowhere NEAR finished. I'm going to try and upload a new chapter every week but only if you review! For everyone who wants my other fics finished...well, all I have to say is that don't push me, okay? I guess I don't do well under pressure and time limits when it comes to my writing. A friend of mine is beta reading this fic, so, hopefully, her input will help motivate me to finish this one. I'm busy with work and volunteering, but I promise that I'll put aside some time to write. Just have patience, okay. And remember, review! 


	3. Waking

Chapter 2  
  
Usagi winced as she slowly became aware of herself. She kept her eyes clinched tight against the invading light that couldn't be blocked even by her closed eyelids. For a moment, one which she stretched out as long as possible, she laid motionless, thoughtless. Her mind was blank, her body numb, her senses dull. And for that moment silence reigned over her world.  
  
Then steadily, the silence became louder and louder, until it became one with her racing pulse. It blared in her ears making her wince in pain. Then when the silence reached a point when it became so deafening, so painfully alive, so loud, that she thought her ears would bleed, it shattered.  
  
Like the glass table in Trunks' kitchen, the silence lost its support and broke into a million glass shards. Each piece scattered across her mind leaving only a single speckle of glass to glitter like a diamond would against the blackness of space. The white, blaring silence was shattered ironically by a small breath of a whisper.  
  
Usagi cracked open her eyes and came face-to-face with a giant blur of lavender. Her brow wrinkled. She blinked a few times to rid herself of the sleep that ceased to relinquish its hold on her, since she found herself too weak to move her arms. The only sound she heard, the sound that broke the deafening silence and shattered the glass, was Trunks' gentle breathing. She smiled when she saw that he had both his arms and tail wrapped around her. A few locks of his hair had fallen in a failed attempt at hiding its master's innocent face.  
  
She didn't remember anything about yesterday, but knew that he wouldn't have let anything bad happen to her. Usagi lay quietly and watched him sleep until the sun was high in the sky. A sharp pain pulsed up her arm reminding her of her injury. She looked down and found that her right wrist was expertly wrapped in white cloth. It looped around her thumb and wrist leaving it secure. How'd that happen? She struggled to remember.  
  
In her struggle she chanced a glance at her other arm and gasped, unknowingly waking the other occupant in the bed. Usagi found that another needle was sticking in her arm taped so it wouldn't move. She gulped in fear. Following the little tube, she found it connected with another bag, identical to the one from before.  
  
"You're awake." She whipped her head around and immediately regretted it when her vision started to swim. "Are you okay?" she heard Trunks ask and felt him move one of the arms from around her to brush away her bangs. She grunted and continued to tame her throbbing headache.  
  
"Trunks," she was shocked when her voice came out no louder than a whisper and sounded as if she hadn't spoken in years.  
  
"Yeah?" She looked in his eyes, letting her fear become unmasked. He immediately became worried. She mentally smiled bitterly. He was always the best at reading her. "What is it? What's wrong?"  
  
"Trunks," she whispered again stopping him from becoming frantic. He stopped and looked at her, waiting patiently for her to continue. She held up her needled arm and looked at it with fear. "Help me take this out, please?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"'Cause I don't want to bleed again."  
  
Trunks seemed to understand her fear. "Me neither." He sat up and reached for her left arm.  
  
"Don't even think about it, young man." Both children's heads snapped to the doorway where a middle-aged woman stood in a while lab coat.  
  
Usagi blinked in confusion and looked around in shock. She just now noticed that she wasn't at home or at Trunks' house. To her right was another bed that was currently empty. The walls were white as were the sheets. A blank television hung in the middle of the ceiling on the far wall. She turned back to Trunks in confusion and fear. "Where are we?"  
  
Trunks stopped glaring at the doctor and looked down at her. "The err – place you go when you're really sick."  
  
They heard the woman chuckle from behind them. "You're at the hospital." Usagi carefully angled herself so that her face was hidden by Trunks' sitting form. Trunks watched closely as the woman checked a chart hanging from the end of the bed. She wrote some stuff down and nodded absently a few times. When she looked above the rim of her wire glasses, Trunks glared. The woman chuckled, "Yes, I remember Mrs. Briefs telling me about your protectiveness for Ms. Son Usagi."  
  
Trunks blinked in surprise. He didn't think that the woman had actually spoken with his mother. Last night was a blur to him. All he remembered was riding here with his mother and waiting forever then, when Usagi was finally put in a room, he climbed in beside her and fell asleep.  
  
Trunks snapped out of his memories when he heard a yawn behind him. He turned and saw Usagi struggling to stay awake. She looked so small and lonely at that moment. Without a second thought, he reached out a hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. She looked at him with trust and kindness. "You should sleep." She nodded and smiled softly before using her remaining strength to cuddle against her pillow. Trunks waited until her heard her breathing slow before pulling the sheet to her chin.  
  
The doctor watched the scene with a knowing smile. These two were certainly a cute pair. Even though they were still young anyone could tell that they were going to break hearts when they got older. Just looking at the way they acted together, with him being so protective and caring and her being so trusting and shy, the woman could already tell that if they weren't careful then they might end up breaking each other's hearts.  
  
'They certainly do make quite a couple,' she thought. 'It's probably woman's intuition, but there's something different about these two.' The doctor saw that the boy was turning and she quickly diverted her attention back to the clipboard in her hands.  
  
"Usagi wants that needle out of her, so take it out."  
  
The doctor stopped what she was doing and stared at the boy for a moment. "Do you know why that 'needle' is inside of her?"  
  
Trunks rolled his eyes, "Do I look like I care? She doesn't like it, so take it out!"  
  
The doctor sat down in the chair next to the bed. "You know that Ms. Son hasn't eaten in a few days. Well, this stuff-," she pointed to the clear liquid, "-is basically food made into a liquid." Trunks nodded slowly. "And it travels down this tube-," the woman continued while running a finger down the thick plastic tube, "-and through the needle in her arm. If we take the needle out then she won't be 'eating', so to speak, and she'll die if she doesn't eat."  
  
Trunks nodded in defeat and looked back at his friend. His gaze settled on her bandaged arm, and he let his anger boil to the surface.  
  
The woman watched closely as the boy became livid with rage. She followed his gaze and found him looking at the girl's wrist. "Ah yes. Your mother reported that Ms. Son was playing with a kitchen knife and lost her grip."  
  
Trunks gritted his teeth, "Yeah, a kitchen knife."  
  
The woman observed his reaction closely. He didn't seem to believe the story. 'Interesting...' Before she could question the child a blue-haired woman walked in the room. "Mrs. Briefs, what can I do for you?" Trunks shared a look with his mother before lying down next to Usagi and pulling her against him.  
  
By some miracle, Bulma convinced the doctor to discharge Usagi and let her recover back at Capsule Corp. Trunks was overjoyed and Usagi would have been as well had she been awake. Bulma set her up in a hospital bed look-alike in her lab with the same monitoring equipment that the hospital had. After all, she was the one that sold the beds – as well as other forms of technology – to the hospitals. After about two days, Usagi was taken off the IV.  
  
Trunks walked slowly and concentrated hard on not spilling the soup- like substance. He cursed fluently as the steaming broth spilled over the side and burned his fingers. As quickly as the cursing came, it stopped. Trunk waited silently, listening for Usagi. A few hushed minutes passed. He deflated in relief when her soft snores filled the air again. Usagi didn't know about being off the IV and being able to eat again. It was going to be a surprise. Sort of, Trunks thought as he stepped back to look at his work.  
  
Goten walked in and placed a tall glass of milk down to complete their creation. Trunks remembered hearing his mother say that when Usagi woke up she would need to eat light foods. He and Goten thought about all of the 'light' foods they knew of. Goten had insisted that candy didn't weigh much, so it was light. Together they came up with various amounts of candy, cupcakes, cookies, and pretty much anything they thought didn't weigh much and was good.  
  
Fortunately, Bulma walked in just as they going were to wake Usagi. She nearly had a heart attack when she saw the mountain of junk food they had assembled. After yelling at them for a few minutes, she decided to help them. 'Light foods,' Trunks remembered her saying, 'aren't how much something weighs. It's how light it settles in their stomach.' She proceeded to tell them that soups, breads, and milk were good 'light' foods. So here they were.  
  
On Usagi's bed table there were five different hot soups she could pick from, a bowl of pasta, some garlic bread, a dish of cornbread, and a huge glass of milk. The boys shared a look of pride before waking their friend. Bulma watched from the lab doorway with amusement. 'Those two sure are goofy.'  
  
"Usa, wake up!" The girl turned her head away from their racket and ignored them. "Ussssaa!" They whined together. Goten reached over and shook her into consciousness.  
  
Usagi's fogged eyes slowly opened revealing two bright blue orbs clouded with sleep. She squinted in confusion when the blurred images finally registered in her mind. She blinked a few times to shake off sleep's clinging tentacles. "Wha?" Her eyes immediately widened at the sound of her voice. It was raw, and the sound seemed to scratch against her throat with every breath she took. She fought to swallow the bile that rose up with a vengeance. Despite her panic, she still noticed that her best friend and brother were excited about something. "What?" she asked softly, her breath still uneven even at a whisper.  
  
The boys exchanged looks and grinned at each other. "We made some stuff for you." She was confused. 'Okay. . .' They moved out of the way and she saw variety of different foods piled on top of each other. Her mouth started to water. For someone who hadn't eaten in so long, it looked like heaven. 'It probably tastes really good . . .' she thought and started to get excited. The two boys grinned when they saw her eyes light up.  
  
Trunks leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Save room for dessert 'cause Goten and I have a LOT of candy stored away."  
  
Usagi tore her eyes away from the heavenly food that seemed to glow with anticipation, and took a good look around her. She blinked in surprise. 'This is Bulma's lab.' Her gaze shot to the doorway and found the said woman lounging against the doorframe watching in amusement. Usagi gulped, 'That means...' The small girl gave the tower of food one last longing glance before slumping back against the pillows of her temporary bed.  
  
Trunks frowned as he watched the excited flare in her eyes get smothered. Something was wrong. He chanced a glance at Goten and found that the other boy was nodding sadly in understanding while starting to pluck at the bedspread.  
  
"Thanks guys, but I'm not very hungry." Usagi closed her eyes and clutched her sheets in a death grip even as her stomach protested loudly.  
  
Bulma stepped forward with a worried crease in her brow, "Usagi, honey, you need to eat."  
  
The little girl looked up into her best friend's eyes willing him to understand. "I can't."  
  
Trunks looked into her wide, shining eyes and knew what was wrong. His own eyes narrowed as he glared at the empty pillow beside her. 'Damn it Chichi!'  
  
Bulma opened her mouth to protest, but Usagi weakly shook her head. "I'm really tired right now. Maybe I'll eat later." The older woman seemed to take that excuse. Usagi sighed in relief and willed herself back into the world of dreams.  
  
"I'm really worried about Usagi," Bulma voiced her thoughts at dinner that night. Vegeta grunted signaling that he was listening even though he was shoveling in hoards of food. Bulma shot him a disgusted look before shrugging it off and continuing. "I know she's hungry, but for some reason she refuses to eat anything. I don't know what's wrong. She needs to eat." Bulma sighed and wished she could read people's minds. 'That would be so much simpler, and the world would be a better place.' "I don't know what to do."  
  
Vegeta finished gulping his rice and took a long swig of skim milk to wash it all down. (AN: Hehe. I can just see Veggie drinking 'skim' milk!) "The brat's stupid. Let her starve."  
  
Bulma growled in outrage. "You're not much help, you know that? Why don't you stop sprouting off the first egotistical, superior comment that pops into your head and actually try to help me just this once?"  
  
Vegeta shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "She's just being stubborn."  
  
"No." The two adults stopped whatever comments they had and looked down at their seven-year old son. "There's a reason Usagi is acting like this." Trunks looked up from the table and stared intensely at his father.  
  
Vegeta caught the hint. The dark-haired prince searched his mind for something that was familiar to this. He blinked. 'She didn't eat that plate of cookies the other day. In fact...' he trailed off trying to remember the last time he had seen her eat at his house. 'Strange,' he thought. 'I've never really seen her eat before.'  
  
"But," Vegeta's attention was brought back to his son, "I have an idea." The two adults leaned forward in anticipation. "Believe it or not, Usagi's always been relaxed when you two fight..."  
  
The next morning, Trunks walked in with a huge tray of food. Usagi tore her gaze from the window and looked at her best friend. Her stomach growled in welcome. She blushed in embarrassment. "Trunks, you know I can't," she commented, but he ignored her and continued to set the tray up in front of her.  
  
Bulma walked in just then and smiled down at the nervous looking child. "Hey Usagi! I just made you some breakfast, I hope you like it." Bulma watched with increasing worry as the girl started to fidget. 'She's definitely hiding something.'  
  
"Bulma-san, thank you but –" Usagi's well-practiced refusal was cut short when a booming voice echoed through the house.  
  
"WOMAN!" When the walls finally stopped vibrating, the double-doors of the lab were thrown open and promptly embedded into the walls they slammed against.  
  
"What do you want?! You just broke the doors! I can't believe you! Now I'm going to have to spend all afternoon fixing them, just because you decided to have a tantrum," Bulma started off right as the man made his royal entrance.  
  
"Don't yell at me woman! If you had fixed that damned machine right the first time, then I wouldn't even be here!! You need to appreciate the things I do for this family and be grateful."  
  
"Grateful?! You do nothing but train all day and eat my food, you leech. Then you start to bitch at me when everything doesn't go the way you want it to (AN: Hehe Bulma just called Vegeta a bitch.) As far as I can tell you don't contribute anything to this family, except your superior knowledge of curse words!"  
  
"WHAT?!" The walls shook at the fierceness of their staged fight.  
  
Trunks ignored what his parents were doing when he felt Usagi sigh quietly and could practically see the tension drain from her shoulders. He held his breath when she picked up the spoon and started to mess with it.  
  
"Go ahead." She jumped and looked at him with guilty eyes. "They're too busy fighting to notice." Usagi looked from the two adults going at it to the steaming bowl of clam chowder and back again. Slowly she scooped up some of the white soup and sipped it. The fight before her seemed to grow more violent with each spoonful she took. It was so good. The warm liquid seemed to dance across her tongue and slid down her throat. 'I almost forgot how good it was to eat.'  
  
Trunks grinned when he heard her sigh in ecstasy. 'Keep it up Dad,' he thought while looking at his parents.  
  
"What did you say about my hair?!"  
  
"I said that it looks like a pineapple! –," Trunks blinked. 'Okay. . . This is getting really weird.' "– You need to get it cut with the current fashion. What would people think if they saw you with a Stone Age hairstyle?"  
  
"If you haven't noticed, I don't give a damn what other people think. And I would rather jump off a cliff than be caught in the things you want to dress me up in. I am not a Barbie doll!" he shouted indignantly. Trunks raised an eyebrow. Hey, he was more surprised his father even knew what a Barbie was.  
  
"Is it my fault you don't have a fashion sense?"  
  
He snorted, "I don't believe you. You're so materialistic just like a typical woman. You need to join the rest of the world because life isn't going to stop just because you get a hangnail!" Trunks blinked again.  
  
"Are you saying I'm self-centered?!"  
  
Vegeta grinned, "Just remember, you said it first."  
  
Trunks started to get worried when his mother's face turned an odd shade of indigo, and she started to shake. Either this was turning into a real fight, or his parents were really good actors. Silence reigned for four whole minutes, something completely alien to the Briefs household. It finally shattered by the sound of a spoon clanking against a bowl. The two adults immediately jumped into speech, as if a gun had been fired signaling the fight.  
  
Trunks quickly averted his attention to the depressed looking Usagi who was currently staring at her empty plate with all the guilt in the world. He grinned triumphantly. His plan had worked! Bulma, who was still spitting out heated comments at her husband, unconsciously gathered up the empty bowls and headed out the door. Vegeta followed, yelling all the way.  
  
Usagi stared at the closed door for in astonishment. Trunks looked from her to the door and back again. What was so interesting? "They – they didn't notice," she spoke quietly still staring with a mixture of shock and confusion.  
  
"They didn't notice what?"  
  
She blinked and shook her head a few times. "Nothing."  
  
Trunks sighed. He already knew what was wrong, but she would never admit it out loud. If she didn't tell someone, then no one could help her. He was working on that. He sighed again and held her hand.  
  
Usagi looked up sharply. She was so lucky to have a friend like Trunks. He never pressured her into telling what she felt, and no matter what he was always there to support her. Water gathered in her eyes. Why was he her friend? What had she done to deserve him? A tear trickled down her smooth face. He was so nice and she was such a burden to his family.  
  
Usagi let out a strangled sob. Why was her life so hard? Why was she such a bad person? So immersed in her self-loathing she barely noticed Trunks' arms wrap around her. She only cried that much harder. "I'm sorry," she choked out between sobs. "I am so sorry."  
  
Well, this is this week's chapter. I hope you liked it. I got a lot of questions about why Chichi is acting this way. As a wise man once said, "All things will be revealed in time." So, be patient, but I'm going to worn you that it will be a while before you find out why. I figured that Chichi naturally has a pushy, aggressive personality and it wouldn't really take much for her to ease into the role of abuser.  
  
Someone made a comment about why their tails didn't play a bigger role in their lives. Well, think about it. How often do you scrutinize someone's "belt"? Besides this is the DBZ dimension. They didn't declare the world is at an end when they noticed some people could fly, so I figured they would be a little more tolerant towards people's differences.  
  
My ultimate goal with this story is to improve the secondary characters. Too many fics are out there that only focus on the main couple, but I think it's the secondary characters which help move the plot along and help situations seem more real. As always, reviews are welcome. If you have any questions please ask; they might help me put more emphasis on something I neglected to make clear and therefore improve my writing. 


	4. Disrespectful brat

Chapter 3  
  
Usagi tightened her grip around Trunks's hand as they slowly trekked down the same path they had a week prior. Vegeta proudly strode in front of them occasionally grumbling about cults and children. She giggled as she remembered what had happened during her week stay at Trunks' house.  
  
Bulma had enlisted her help in coming up with a plan to con Vegeta into taking care of everything dealing with school. Trunks was quick to agree with their plan. He figured that if he got in trouble his father was more likely to congratulate him while his mother tended to overreact.  
  
They had Bulma call Chichi up and convince her. Chichi was very against having a "monkey-tailed Barbarian" taking care of her children's educations. The older woman finally relented when they agreed Vegeta would only be in charge of Usagi and not Goten.  
  
Even now, Usagi was still confused on how Bulma had convinced the stubborn man. Must be a grown up thing, she thought and mentally shrugged.  
  
In truth, she was actually grateful for both of the Saiyajin princes' company. She turned her gaze to the still grumbling man. He wasn't really mad; she could tell. His grumbling was just for pride's sake. He cared. Despite all of the hardship she had caused for his family, he still cared enough to fly her to school. Tears prickled behind her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. She couldn't cry in front of him. She wouldn't embarrass him after everything he had done for her.  
  
Usagi took slow steps, deliberately delaying the inevitable. All too soon, they reached the familiar door that hummed with mingling conversations. She gulped. She really didn't want to be here. Trunks felt her stop just outside the threshold. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before tugging her into the brightly-colored room.  
  
Keeping her place at his side, she gazed around the room with something that resembled awe. When she had last visited – for Open House – it was well into the evening and she had been hiding behind Trunks most of the time. Now that sunlight was pouring through the open blinds, she could finally see her first classroom. Trunks watched in amusement as she started to turn every which way in an attempt to take in all of the colors and feelings the room portrayed.  
  
Sometimes she would turn so far around that their hands would disconnect, but as soon as she felt the support leaving her she quickly clutched back on.  
  
Half of the room was tiled with sky blue marble while the other half was covered in a thin carpet. A large, soft-looking rug was placed in front of a chair in the far corner. On the carpeted side small cubbies lined the walls with names neatly printed on the tops. 'Not that that will do much good,' Trunks thought. 'Usagi and I are probably the only ones that can read.' Next to them was a huge row of wooden pegs, some were occupied by light coats and hats.  
  
On the tiled side of the room, directly in front of them, were tables that could seat about six kids each. Beyond them and off to the right, were two sinks and a counter with cabinets and drawers. The cabinets were so high that he would have to stand on the counter to open them. 'That, or fly.' He grinned. 'I bet we're the only ones that can do that too.' On the far right side of the room next to the counters, was a door. 'The bathroom.' He scowled. 'They probably think we would get lost trying to find the ones in the halls.' He rolled his eyes. 'Teachers are so dumb.' To his immediate right was another door. 'The teacher's office,' he thought absently.  
  
After surveying the room, he turned his attention back to Usagi. Her eyes were fixed staring at something in front of her. He followed her gaze and found she was looking through the huge glass sliding doors that were apart of the far wall. More specifically, she was staring at the playground in the distance. He sighed but smiled gently down at her. She would always be the same; always longing to be outside. Personally, he didn't know how she was going to make it through the year.  
  
His attention was brought back to his father. While Trunks and Usagi had been looking around, the other parents had left in a hurry muttering about being late and glancing at their watches every few seconds. Vegeta waited until he was the last adult left before finally looking down at them.  
  
"I'll be back in a few hours to pick you up." He rolled his eyes, "Which is incredibly stupid, since you two are old enough to find your own way home." The teacher donned a look of outrage at what he was saying. Vegeta grinned and ignored her. "If either of you get bored, then you've got my permission to come home." Trunks noticed that the teacher was about to open her mouth and make the biggest mistake of her life, but at the last moment remembered who she was about to tell off and quickly bit her lip. He snickered. His father was practically daring the woman to speak.  
  
Both he and Usagi nodded like the innocent little children they were. Riiiight. Just as Vegeta was about to walk away, he spun back on his heel. The quick motion caught everyone's attention. "Oh and Trunks," he said as if just remembering something. "Raise Hell." Trunks grinned at his father's back.  
  
The teacher jumped from her chair with a shriek of outrage. "How dare he speak that way in the presence of innocent ears!"  
  
Trunks turned to Usagi looking confused, "She thinks we're innocent?" Usagi giggled.  
  
A small boy about their age began to frantically pull on the end of Ms. Plumb's long shirt. "Misses teacher lady, what's a Hell?"  
  
Usagi gasped in shock, "Oh Kami, they are innocent!"  
  
The teacher's eyes grew wide. "Um . . . you'll find out when you're older, sweetie."  
  
"But I want to know nooooow!" the boy whined before dropping to the floor kicking and screaming. The teacher glared at the door where Vegeta had just left from.  
  
Usagi giggled from next to Trunks, "I don't think she likes Veggie very much."  
  
Trunks shrugged, "That's her problem."  
  
The teacher had somehow calmed the child down and was looking at her clipboard again. "When I call your name say 'here' and sit down in the chair I point to." Trunks rolled his eyes. She was using that slow I'm- talking-to-stupid-kids voice again. "Briefs Trunks?"  
  
He grunted and sat down at the table where his name was neatly printed on a note card. After glancing around to the other names, he quickly stood up again. "I'm not sitting here."  
  
Ms. Plumb gripped her clipboard tighter. "I'm sorry but you don't have much of a choice."  
  
Trunks glared at her and quickly pulled Usagi up next to him. "I'd like to see you try and make me." All of the kids stared at him in shock.  
  
"He's talking back to a grownup," someone whispered in awe.  
  
"I'm not sitting anywhere without Usagi."  
  
"It's okay Trunks," Usagi's soft voice echoed in the room. "Don't make her mad, please?"  
  
Trunks gave her hand a reassuring squeeze but, otherwise, ignored her comment. His ice blue eyes bored defiantly into the scared honey brown ones of the older woman. What Ms. Plumb found in their depths truly scared her. She saw power.  
  
Her gaze shifted to the small girl clutching onto the boy's hand. Her eyes were hidden as she stared at the floor. The teacher had a hunch that the girl's eyes would match those of her friend. One thing was for certain, she didn't want to invoke either child's wrath. She gulped. Or their parents'.  
  
"Very well then," her voice broke through the heavy silence that had bewitched the room. "I think I already know both of your names. You may be seated wherever you like." Trunks inclined his head gravely and winked down at Usagi.  
  
They claimed two seats closest to the glass doors. "See, Usa? Easy as cake." At the mention of food his stomach grumbled, shattering his superior moment. Usagi giggled at his red face. She gave him a quick hug.  
  
"Thanks Trunks. I'm really glad you're here."  
  
He puffed up and buffed his fingernails against his chest. "Yes, just what would you do without me?"  
  
The question was rhetorical, but Usagi answered it anyway. "I'd shatter." He looked confused but before he could ask what she meant, the teacher began to speak.  
  
"If you didn't know, my name's Ms. Plumb; and I'm going to be your first grade teacher. Today we're going to learn each other's names and the alphabet."  
  
Trunks groaned, "This is going to be a long year," he told Usagi. She yawned in response. Trunks looked at her puffy eyes and frail form. She still wasn't back to normal. "Get some sleep Usa."  
  
"Huh?" Usagi looked around at the other kids at their table – they were drooling, picking their noses, or staring out into space – and at the teacher, who was talking enthusiastically about letters. "But won't I get in trouble?"  
  
Trunks shook his head. "I'll protect you." She looked into his eyes for a long moment before nodding and laying her head in her folded arms finally succumbing to her weariness. Trunks's expression softened when she started to snore lightly.  
  
The teacher was now holding up huge cue cards with large letters printed on them. He sighed. 'She must think we're blind too.' School wasn't supposed to be this boring. He already knew up until the 8th grade in all subjects. His mother was a genius, so the genes got passed down or something. Usagi was forced by her mother to study every spare moment, so she was pretty much at his level of thinking. He shrugged. 'I guess they don't want two kids our age in high school.'  
  
Personally he thought the entire school thing was just a big waste of time. He would be perfectly fine with home school. A snore brought his attention back to his companion. 'Then again, that wouldn't really be fair to Usagi.' The more time he could make her spend away from her mother, the better. 'For her,' he decided. 'Anything for my princess.'  
  
"Son Usagi!" he started along with the snoozing girl.  
  
Usagi looked around in surprise before she spotted the furious teacher at the corner of her eye. She sighed in relief; thanking Kami that it wasn't her mother. Her eyes fell to the desk. "Yes ma'am?"  
  
"You are not to sleep in class! This is a school, you are here to learn, not sleep. Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes ma'am."  
  
Trunks glared at the woman. "We both already know how to do this, so she's not really missing out on anything. Besides, I'm about to fall asleep just listening to you go on and on. Can't you ever shut up?" The other kids gasped and stared at him as though he were a god. It was such a young age for their innocent minds to be corrupted.  
  
The teacher looked totally unprepared for that comment. Never had she heard of such a foul tongue on one so young. "You think you're tough talking back to a teacher? Well, you'll be talking to the principal next if you don't learn some respect."  
  
A hand went up, "Ms. Plumb? What's respect?" The question was swallowed up in the heated gaze that now warred between student and teacher.  
  
"I do have respect, just not for a stupid woman like you."  
  
She gasped, "That's it young man! I am tired of listening to that attitude of yours. Since you're so smart, you can walk yourself to the principal's office."  
  
Trunks stood up so fast that his chair crashed against the wall behind him. "Fine! I don't think I can stand looking at your ugly face for another minute anyway," he turned to Usagi and – contradicting his mood – gently pulled her to her feet. "Come on, Usa. We don't need this." With that said, the two children walked across the room and out the door, leaving a fuming teacher in their wake.  
  
The hallway was eerily quiet, an odd contradiction to the yelling that had just gone on. Usagi started to sob, breaking the silence, and causing all of the rage to drain from Trunks' mind. "What's wrong?" he asked as he took her in his arms and started to rub her back.  
  
"I-I didn't mean to get you in trouble. I'm sorry. I – "  
  
"No. Remember what I told you the last time you were upset?" She nodded. "It's not your fault. It's that stupid teacher's." He grinned in an attempt to cheer her up, "Do you want me to beat her up after school?" Usagi gasped and her head shot up. Then she saw his grin and let out a strangled giggle. Trunks grabbed her hand and started to pull her after him. "Come on, a walk will cheer you up. Besides, I'm kind of looking forward to telling the principal off too."  
  
"Trunks!" Usagi reprimanded. "That's not very nice."  
  
He just shrugged. "If they can't handle it, then that's their problem." The hallways were empty, leaving the two undisturbed on their trek to the office. "I wonder if they'll call Dad." Trunks thought hopefully.  
  
"I hope they don't call Mom," Usagi shuddered at how angry her mother would get.  
  
"Hey, don't worry about it. Dad will tell them that he'll take care of it."  
  
Usagi smiled at him. He always knew exactly what to say.  
  
He smiled back before taking her hand and opening the door. Not five paces into the room there was a huge counter filled with drawers that had all of the teacher's names on them. Trunks spotted the one marked 'Plumb' and grinned. He and Usagi'd have to rig it later. The counter came up to an inch above his head. He floated up and propped his elbows down on it.  
  
A gasp sounded from behind him. "Trunks! You know your mom said that we shouldn't show our powers." He just shrugged.  
  
"Hello?" There was a woman on the other side typing on a computer. She was startled from her work.  
  
"Um... How may I help you? Do you have an appointment?"  
  
Trunks rolled his eyes. "Of course not! Some stupid teacher sent us here."  
  
The woman looked down and sure enough there was another child behind the counter. "Are you two sick?" she asked still confused on why there were here.  
  
"No!" Trunks said in annoyance. "She sent us here so I could tell off some head guy or something."  
  
"Oh. Well, follow me then." Trunks floated back down and took Usagi's hand again. The secretary blinked, 'He must have been standing on something.'  
  
They walked down a long hallway and through the door that was headed Mr. Iiehana (1) in big bold letters. There was a black-haired man in a business suit typing away at his computer. "I'm sorry to disturb you sir, but the two troublemakers," she paused to throw them a death glare, "are here."  
  
The middle-aged man didn't even spare them a glance. "The who?"  
  
The secretary scowled at him. She obviously didn't approve of his careless attitude. "The two students Violet Plumb sent to speak with you," she said through clinched teeth. Usagi stood as close as she could to Trunks. That tone of voice was all too familiar. Trunks squeezed her hand and glared accusingly at the secretary.  
  
"Wha? Oh! Of course, Violet's call. Gotcha." The secretary's upper lip started to twitch in disgust. Trunks grinned when he noticed that she was biting her lip to keep from commenting. Maybe this guy wouldn't be bad after all. "Oh and Minerva?" The man's voice stopped the older woman just as she crossed the threshold, "Could you have those papers I asked for done by this afternoon? Thank you."  
  
When the seething secretary finally left, Usagi eased her death grip and let circulation back into Trunks' hand. The man finished whatever he was typing before finally turning his attention to them. He blinked and looked at them for a moment in confusion. "Oh right!" he exclaimed and slapped himself in the forehead. Usagi giggled but quickly returned her gaze to the shoes that were snuggled under the table. Typical business shoes.  
  
"Violet – err Ms. Plumb buzzed the office a few minutes ago and said that you two were being disrespectful and barged out of class. We don't normally get discipline problems from the first grade department, but nevertheless," he pulled out a slip of paper and started writing. "Names?"  
  
Trunks crossed his arms. "I don't have to tell you shit."  
  
The man paused in his writing. "Excuse me?"  
  
"You heard me. If you want to know who I am, then you'll have to read my mind."  
  
The man blinked. "Listen kid. Just tell me your name. I've got other things I need to do, and if you cooperate, things will go a lot faster."  
  
Trunks smirked, "Well, that's your problem now isn't it?"  
  
Usagi shook her head, "Trunks is he going to call Mom?"  
  
Trunks uncrossed his arms and took her hand. "Don't worry about it. If worse comes to worst, then I know I could take him." She giggled.  
  
"Trunks?" the man thought aloud. "As in Briefs Trunks?"  
  
Trunks straightened his back and glared at the man. "Yeah, so?"  
  
The man gulped, "As in you're Vegeta's son?" Trunks blinked. He was used to people asking about his mother. This was a change.  
  
"Trunks, does he know Veggie?"  
  
"Of course not! My Dad would never hang around this loser."  
  
The man chuckled. "You are definitely your father's son. How's your mom doing? I'm surprised she hasn't killed him yet."  
  
Trunks glared, "Who are you, and how do you know my parents?"  
  
The man leaned forward, "My name's Krillen."  
  
1 - Iiehana means 'no nose'. I wasn't quite sure what his last name was. I don't think they ever really say it so I just kind of made one up.  
  
Dun! Dun! DUN!!! Bet you never expected that one! Review and tell me what you think. I rate how well the chapter was by how many reviews I get. I know, I know I shouldn't do that, but shrugs I just do. So review. Please! 


	5. Forgotten

Chapter 4  
  
"I'm apart of the Earth's Special Forces, you know the Z-senshi?"  
  
Trunks looked at the man who had dots on his head. "Then what are you doing here?"  
  
Krillen leaned back in his leather chair with a shrug, "Unlike the Saiyajin Prince," he seemed to shudder at the name of the alien race, "I don't have a rich wife. I still have to make a living and I like kids, so I decided to become an elementary principal. Pretty wicked, huh?"  
  
"Aren't you married to 18?" Usagi's quiet voice brought the raven- haired man's gaze on her.  
  
"Yeah, how'd you know that?"  
  
The girl bowed her head farther. "Gohan told me," she finished in a whisper. The man didn't seem to notice.  
  
"Son Gohan?" She nodded. "Man, I haven't seen him in years! We all really need to have a get-together sometime," he paused as if just remembering something. "How do you know Gohan?"  
  
Trunks stepped forward, "'cause he's her brother! Dumbass," he mumbled the last part and rolled his eyes. Grownups really could be stupid.  
  
"No kidding?! That means you're Son Usagi right? I would have never guessed. You don't look like either of your parents. I don't see how Goku and Chichi managed to make blond hair," he suddenly froze. "You're not a Super Saiyajin are you?" he asked slowly.  
  
Trunks detected some shaking in his voice. "No, she's not," Trunks closed his eyes and in a burst of power his hair spiked up and exploded into golden light, his back straightened, muscles bulged, and his icy blue eyes turned into stoic green. "-but I am."  
  
Krillen jumped out of his seat and back to the far wall of his office. "B- but, you're too young to be one! Gohan didn't become one until he was eleven!"  
  
Super Saiyajin Trunks smirked, "Like you said, I am my father's son." Krillen gulped and nodded quickly. Trunks inwardly grinned. He couldn't wait to tell his father about this. A quiet rumbling broke him from his happy thoughts. Usagi was blushing furiously and shifting her feet. He chuckled and took her hand. She gave him a grateful smile. "Hey, we're a little hungry. Is there anything to eat in this place?" he asked finally powering down.  
  
At the disappearance of the Super Saiyajin, Krillen seemed to find more courage. He glanced at his watch. "It is about time for your lunch." He chuckled dryly, "I think I may have to warn the cooks about your appetites. But first," he shook his head to clear his thoughts, "we have to solve the issue of discipline." Usagi gulped and Trunks pulled her closer to him. She was relieved; he would protect her.  
  
"What discipline?! We didn't do anything wrong."  
  
Krillen raised an eyebrow, "I was told that Ms. Son fell asleep." He shifted his gaze to the girl that seemed to shrink. He blinked in surprise. She seemed to really fear him. His brow crinkled, and he stepped from behind his desk. Her head was still bowed even as he squatted down, giving her a height advantage. "Can you tell me why?" She shook her head.  
  
"Why do you think? She was tired, and the teacher was boring the hell out of both of us!"  
  
Krillen ignored the boy's comment and continued to stare at the silent blonde. He reached out to tilt her head up, but she flinched and back out of his reach. Trunks stepped in front of her and gave the noseless man a glare that was truly inherited by his father, a glare that embodied death.  
  
"Don't touch her."  
  
Krillen lost his balance and fell on his butt. He quickly scooted to the edge of his desk. That glare was not to be messed with.  
  
"Now," Trunks started, "When are we going to eat?"  
  
Krillen gathered what little dignity he had left and stood. He straightened his nice suit jacket and walked back behind his desk. "Well," he cleared his throat, "Since today is your first day at this school, I'll excuse you just this once. Don't let it happen again."  
  
Trunks cocked his head to the side, "Or what? You'll call my father?" he asked barely containing his laughter.  
  
Krillen gulped and loosened his tie. "Well. . . I'll um. . ." he coughed, "I'll call your mother."  
  
Trunks chuckled. "And she'll tell my Dad to take care of it. We'll leave now and give you time to think up a decent threat." He turned to Usagi and winked. "Come on, Usa. Let's get some grub." She giggled as he lightly shoved her out of the dark room.  
  
"But—," Krillen protested to the retreating duo.  
  
"What? It's not like we can't find the lunchroom. We're not idiot infants," with that said he slammed the door startling the secretary. She glared at them as they passed. Trunks smirked superiorly at her and walked out of the room with his nose in the air, just to piss her off.  
  
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  
  
The cafeteria was large but not overly so. It was full of chattering students, laughing adults, and the clanking and scraping of metal utensils against plastic trays. Trunks and Usagi were one of the last students to go through the lunch line. That was good because they piled their plates to the point of overflow. The cashier nearly had a heart attack when she saw them, much to the amusement of the demi-Saiyajins.  
  
It didn't matter that the food was a distant relative of rubber or that it looked like something Usagi found on the bottom of her shoe a few weeks ago. As fast as they were inhaling it, taste didn't really register. Quite a few students from the surrounding tables froze mid-chew to watch the phenomenon in awe.  
  
They finished a few minutes later and pushed the empty trays away. Usagi rested her head in her folded arms and closed her eyes; she was still tired. Trunks glanced around at the gawking students and faculty.  
  
"I wish Goten were here, then we could show them something to really stare at."  
  
Usagi giggled and turned to look at her best friend. She could just image the two of them having an eating contest that would send a majority of the surrounding students hurling. 'They'd do it too,' she thought with a grin. Her grin melted as soon as her thoughts turned to her family.  
  
"Trunks?" she asked softly, immediately gaining the young boy's attention, "I'm going to have to go home today, huh?"  
  
Trunks glared as his plastic tray and clinched his fists under the table. Usagi watched his face cloud with anger as she continued, "I heard your mom talking on the phone with Gohan. She was asking him to pick me up after school," she paused to stare blankly at the peeling table. "I don't want to go home."  
  
Before Trunks could voice his agreement, the teachers stood and herded the students outside to the playground. Trunks gritted his teeth. His mom didn't ask any questions and continued to blissfully ignore everything wrong in the world. What surprised him the most was why his father didn't act. His father was a smart man and should have figured out what was going on by now. Adult were so clueless.  
  
Usagi instantly brightened as the warm sunrays wrapped around her. She had been waiting for this all day. There was a brief moment of chaos as all of the older kids made a mad dash to the swings. She shrugged. Swinging didn't really compare to flying. Both the hybrids sat down on the roots of a big pine and talked.  
  
Usagi's laughter broke off when a shadow cast over her. She looked up and into the dark green eyes of a rather large older kid that was scowling down at them. Trunks scowled in return.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
The older boy smirked at them. "Didn't you know? This is my tree. If you want to sit here, then you'll have to give me your lunch money."  
  
Trunks rolled his eyes. "That makes perfect sense since we already ate lunch." The older boy blinked in confusion. "Dumbass," Trunks mumbled causing Usagi to giggle. Saiyajin hearing has its benefits.  
  
"Well . . . uh . . . give me your money or I'll beat you up."  
  
Trunks grinned and jumped to his feet. "Go ahead and try."  
  
The older boy stumbled back sending his fat rolls jiggling. He obviously wasn't used to being challenged. He growled before lifting Trunks up by the cloth of his shirt. "You listen here you little punk. I'm the king of this playground and you'll do what I say or something bad will happen."  
  
"Is there a problem, Rob?" a new voice cut through the heated staring contest.  
  
Usagi looked to her right and found a middle-aged man with a whistle staring at 'Rob' and Trunks with amusement. 'Isn't he going to stop this?'  
  
"No, Coach. This little pipsqueak was just about to give me the money he owes me."  
  
"Oh. Okay."  
  
Again, Trunks rolled his eyes. "That makes perfect sense too, considering this is the first day of school and I've never met you in my life."  
  
Rob scowled down at the boy he held dangling a foot off of the ground. "Shut up before I 'accidentally' make your face bleed."  
  
Usagi looked from the scene to the coach with confusion. The man seemed to be enjoying this. 'That's not right.' "Excuse me, sir. Aren't you going to stop this?"  
  
Rob brought his attention to her, "Shut up you tattletale or I'll make you as soon as I'm done with your little friend here."  
  
Trunks glared. Messing with him was amusing; messing with Usagi was a big no-no. "Put me down."  
  
Rob giggled with glee, letting his middle jiggle for a moment. "Or what, little man?"  
  
Trunks smirked exactly like his father, startling the older boy. "Or this." He reeled back his fist and planted it firmly in the jelly rolls of the giant. The boy was thrown back ten feet coming completely off of the ground at one point before skidding to a halt at the base of another giant tree.  
  
"Whoa!" some of the surround kids exclaimed before going slack-jawed. The coach joined the open mouth fest while looking from his unconscious star quarterback to the purple-haired first grader and back.  
  
"Trunks you probably shouldn't have done that," Usagi spoke in the silence of the playground. It seemed that no one was used to a Saiyajin's strength.  
  
"Young man, violence is not tolerated at this school," the coach started after snapping from his stupor.  
  
Trunks tuned out everything after that. He had already heard this speech once today. "Hey Usa," he whispered. "Do you think I should hit him too?"  
  
She grinned, "Would that shut him up?"  
  
"I don't know, but it's worth a try."  
  
"Are you listening to me?!"  
  
"No."  
  
The man growled and started to shake with fury. "That's it, young man! You are coming with me to see the principal."  
  
"Again?" Trunks groaned. "Well, Usagi's coming with me."  
  
"You are in no position to be demanding anything."  
  
"I don't care what position I'm in. Usagi is coming with me."  
  
"Listen here –"  
  
"No, you listen!" Trunks shouted and took a step forward. "You're not my father, so I don't give a damn what you say."  
  
"You will when I get through with you," the coach threatened in quiet rage. "Fine! Bring the girl. I'll make sure you get expelled with or without her there."  
  
Trunks grinned and grabbed Usagi's hand before walking after the man. This day was getting better and better.  
  
"Do you think we'll get in trouble this time?" Usagi asked as they stepped into the familiar chill of the office.  
  
Trunks shrugged, "Probably not. I just want to see if that guy thought of a comeback yet."  
  
"I don't know. That man looks pretty mad."  
  
Trunks grinned, "I could take him."  
  
The trio entered the back hallway and finally stepped into the dark office where the black-haired man was looking through some folders. He glanced up and raised an eyebrow at his guests. The folders lay forgotten as they mingled with the tie, paperweight, pencils, and other desk paraphernalia.  
  
"Yes, Coach Wilson? What can I do for you?"  
  
The man drew himself up to his full height of six feet, "This one," he gestured to Trunks, "decided it would be fun to pick on Rob Thomas, the school quarterback. He punched him clear across the playground and out cold. I demand that this little punk be discharged immediately!" he bellowed in deep baritone.  
  
'Not as deep as Veggie's,' Usagi observed absently.  
  
Trunks glared, "If fatty hadn't of bugged us in the first place, then none of this would have happened. It's not my fault he's a fat, brainless infant that probably can't even wipe his own ass!"  
  
Usagi shook her head sadly, 'He shouldn't have said that.'  
  
"WHAT?!" roared the coach.  
  
Mr. Iiehana, Krillen, cleared his throat rather loudly; the action just barely stopped the coach from starting a fight. "Mr. Wilson, will you please behave like an adult? Trunks, I'm sure that our school's policy concerning foul language has already been explained to you. Repeatedly."  
  
When the two finally calmed, he continued, "Usagi," her attention was brought from staring out the window to his shoes, "why don't you tell me what happened?"  
  
"WHAT?! You're going to take this – this child's word over MINE?!"  
  
"Shut UP, Mr. Wilson!" Krillen shouted without taking his gaze off of Usagi's bowed head.  
  
Trunks grinned smugly at the tall man.  
  
Usagi blinked in confusion and almost made the mistake of looking up. 'He wants my opinion?' She shifted uncomfortably under the heated gazes she could feel burning into the top of her head. 'What do they want me to say?'  
  
Krillen knelt down in front of her for the second time that day. He didn't reach out for her this time.  
  
"She doesn't have to answer to you," Trunks said and pulled her behind him in a protective gesture. Both the grown men could see his shoulders tense, and immediately their primal emotions warned them to stay away.  
  
Krillen blinked and shook his head to banish the uneasy feeling at the pit of his stomach. This was Trunks, not some 300 pound skin-headed biker, so why did he feel like he was being warned away? One thought kept running through his head, 'Don't mess with this kid.' The coach seemed to have the same thought.  
  
Usagi rested her cheek against Trunks' back. The tense silence in the room was just too much for her to handle. She wrapped her arms around him and let his aura of strength enfold around her. Everything was going to be okay as long as he was there.  
  
A shrill ringing signaled that recess was over and it was time for their last class of the day. Krillen chuckled. "It seems that you two," he gestured to the coach and Trunks, "are going to have to get along whether you like it or not. Coach Wilson, they have your class last period today."  
  
The man nodded stiffly and glared down at them. "I teach P.E., if you didn't know. You two are going to be hurting by the end of the day. I'll guarantee it."  
  
Trunks snorted. So far, the whole school day had been a joke, and he'd bet this last class would be too.  
  
The gymnasium was a large room with no furniture. There were two doors on the right wall that were labeled 'Storage' and 'Office', and two more on the far wall that undoubtedly opened to the outside. In the far right corner, hung a rope that stretched to the ceiling twenty or so feet from the ground. Taped along the base of the walls, were cards with little stick people depicting an exercise. Usagi recognized her classmates as the group of children huddled in the center of the room looking around with uncertainty and a hint of fear.  
  
Trunks grinned. "They look like lost sheep."  
  
Usagi glanced around one more time and frowned. There were no windows.  
  
Everything repeated itself. Coach Wilson introduced himself and took role after giving them all the death glare of the century. Both Trunks and Usagi found it quite amusing. After all, they had seen Vegeta at his worst. Then, they went outside.  
  
Usagi smiled as the sun embraced her with its warmth for the second time that day. 'I could really get used to this school thing,' she thought as they walked under the breezeway.  
  
"Listen up!" the coach's bellow ceased all conversation. "You are going to run around the grounds four times."  
  
"Why?" some brave soul asked.  
  
"Because I said so!" he snapped. "Nosy little brats," Trunks heard him mumble under his breath.  
  
'Oh, now I'm going to have to show him,' he thought with a smirk. 'No little human calls the prince of all Saiyajins a brat!'  
  
"Stay outside of the orange tape." The students looked around and noticed for the first time that bright orange tape was wrapped around the outermost trees creating a choppy-looking path. "Every time you pass me, or finish a lap, I will hand you a toothpick. Once you have four toothpicks stop and walk a fifth lap."  
  
While the man grabbed a stopwatch and clipboard, Trunks turned to Usagi. "I want him to eat his words. You want to race? Even if I'll beat you," he boasted.  
  
"Yeah, right. You know I've always been faster than you."  
  
Trunks glared, "Well, I'm stronger, and that's what counts."  
  
She grinned, "But, what use is strength if you can't catch me?"  
  
"Please. I could take you any day of the week."  
  
Usagi giggled. She may not train like Trunks, but she was still as fast as a Saiyajin. As they both crouched down to wait for the coach to blow the whistle, she recalled Bulma's words. 'I suppose the reason you are faster than normal is because you don't train. It's like how a blind person's sight is taken away so their other senses are heightened. If you take a Saiyajin's strength away other things might be enhanced, like their speed.' Usagi glanced over at Trunks. They both knew who was going to win.  
  
The coach blew his whistle and the two became blurs of lavender and gold. All of those present stopped and stared at the two blobs speeding around and around. One minute later, Trunks and Usagi materialized at the finish line with four toothpicks in their hands. They were both slightly out of breath.  
  
"Ha! I told you Trunks. I'm still the champion! Can't touch this. Dun, nun, nun, nun," Usagi giggled and danced around him.  
  
Trunks rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. I let you win."  
  
"Suuuure you did."  
  
There was silence. Usagi looked behind her and found the entire class staring at them. She started to fidget and finally slipped behind Trunks and out of sight.  
  
"What the hell are you babies looking at?!" Trunks jumped to the rescue, bringing all of the children back to reality. "Start running!" Everyone immediately took off. "Kids," Trunks mumbled under his breath.  
  
"H-How?" Coach Wilson stuttered. He looked at the track, then at them, then the track again. This continued for a few minutes until his eyes lit up with excitement. He practically ran over to the sitting duo.  
  
"Young man! Trunks-kun!" he called.  
  
Trunks lifted a lavender eyebrow in response to the sudden change of attitude. He raised a hand, signaling for the man to wait, and finished his conversation with Usagi.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
The coach nearly wet his pants from anticipation. "With your speed and strength, you could be the greatest football player in the whole city! Please, try out for the football team. Think of it: the countless medals, the fans, and even the championship! You could be great!"  
  
Trunks smirked, "But I'm already great."  
  
The coach frowned and prepared to use his trump card, "You could win money. Maybe even up to $5,000! Wouldn't that be something?" After all, what kid could resist money?  
  
Usagi bit her bottom lip to keep from giggling. Trunks shot her a sideways glance. He could feel her amusement. The coach looked at the girl with confusion. What was so amusing?  
  
"Five thousand dollars is my weekly allowance. Do you know who my mother is?"  
  
Coach Wilson looked amused. It was obvious that the child hadn't learned to count yet. He might as well play along. "Who?"  
  
"Bulma Briefs, CEO of Capsule Corporations."  
  
Usagi burst into giggles when she saw the weird face the coach was making. He looked completely floored. In her mind, this was a way to get back at him for being so mean to them throughout the day.  
  
"R-Really? I wasn't even aware that she was married. Well," he paused and let his mind grope for a good excuse to get the kid to join his team. "You might meet the Great Saiyaman?"  
  
"That loser? I have better things to do with my time," Trunks laughed. In truth, he could see the Great Saiyaman anytime he wanted; Usagi saw him everyday. "In fact, I have better things to do than talk to you."  
  
Coach Wilson growled. This kid had a serious lack of respect for his elders. Some of the students wheezed their way to a halt while clutching their knees as they sucked in precious air. A bell sounded in the distance signaling the end of school. Usagi and Trunks walked back to the gym hand- in-hand.  
  
Usagi giggled, "I can't believe you called Gohan a loser."  
  
"Come on, Usa. He wears the dorkiest clothes, says the stupidest things, and frolics. He frolics! That's just sad. Dad says he's a disgrace to the entire Saiyajin race."  
  
"Goten thinks his outfit is cool."  
  
Trunks rolled his eyes while slipping on his backpack. "Goten's a loser too."  
  
Usagi gasped. "You're mean!" she exclaimed while trying to stifle a giggle.  
  
Trunks grabbed her hand and pulled her outside. "Yeah, but you love me anyway, right?"  
  
Vegeta was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed and his scowl in place. He didn't look happy to be there. Trunks and Usagi pushed their way through the crowd of students but were waylaid when Coach Wilson stepped into their path.  
  
"Move," Trunks commanded.  
  
The man wouldn't be fazed by the boy's attitude. "Please, you have to be on the team."  
  
Trunks rolled his eyes. "You're still whining about that?! I already told you, I don't play football; I fight."  
  
Usagi heard approaching footsteps. She glanced to her right and seeing a pair of white pristine boots, she grinned.  
  
"I don't see why I have to waste my training time escorting the two of you home," the man complained as soon as he was sure they could hear him.  
  
Coach Wilson stopped begging the child and turned to the source of the voice. Surely the boy's father would listen to reason. He was not, however, expecting to see a spandex-wearing tiny man with spiky hair.  
  
Vegeta ignored the shocked human. "Come on brats. I've wasted enough time waiting."  
  
When the man turned to leave, Coach Wilson snapped from his stupor. "Sir! Excuse me, sir!"  
  
Vegeta kept walking.  
  
The coach reached out and clasped the man's shoulder in an effort to stop him. Vegeta paused in mid-stride. He growled low in his throat until Mr. Wilson gasped and scrambled back a few steps.  
  
"What do you want, weakling?"  
  
He gulped. This man just couldn't be married to the richest woman alive. "I-I-I-I...um..."  
  
Vegeta smirked to himself and breathed deeply. 'Ah, fear, how sweet the sound.' "What?" he snapped. "I don't have all day to wait for you to decide if you're going to speak or piss in your pants."  
  
The man gaped. Now he knew where the son got it from. "I'm sure you know how strong your son is." The man paused and for the first time noticed the father's bulging muscles. This big-haired parent may be vertically challenged, but he looked like he could take on the world and then some. Coach Wilson suddenly became very nervous.  
  
Vegeta started to get annoyed when the human paused to check him out. 'I know I look good, but damn. Can't this pathetic creature get his mind off his bed preferences in the presence of children?!' Vegeta growled in annoyance. He was used to gay men, having grown up with Frieza, but he had never joined in their 'festivities' and wasn't about to let this human think otherwise.  
  
"Yes, I know the brat can kick your ass."  
  
Coach Wilson shook himself from his fear. The things he had to do for fame and glory. "Your son could be a valuable asset to the school football team, the star player even. With his help, our school could win the championship. Think of it, sir. There will be lots of cameras and fans! I could make you and your son famous!"  
  
Trunks looked at the starry-eyed coach. "What a dork."  
  
Vegeta blinked. "Football?" He glanced at his son.  
  
"It's a sport, Dad; the one you said was stupid."  
  
"The one with the sissies in shorts?"  
  
"No. That's basketball. The other one."  
  
"The one were the sissies ride in circles?"  
  
"No. That's racing."  
  
"The one with the twirling sissies?"  
  
Usagi giggled. "Silly Veggie. That's ice-skating."  
  
Vegeta sighed. He could never understand the human culture, not that he really wanted to anyway. "Oh well. It doesn't matter which one this football is; I think they're all crap."  
  
Coach Wilson looked highly insulted. Not only did this man live under a rock, since he didn't know about the god-like, awe-inspiring, bone-crushing dance that was football; but he had the effrontery to call it crap. The coach was torn between his natural instinct to yell at someone who criticized the matchless beauty of football and getting the short man agree to make the boy play. Necessity won.  
  
"I'm sure that if you...persuaded the child to play, he would fall in love with the sport like so many others have."  
  
Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to tell me how to raise my son?"  
  
The coach gritted his teeth. "No, of course not. I was merely suggesting –"  
  
"– I am not in need of your council," Vegeta interrupted displaying his royal demeanor. "This conversation is over. If you speak of this nonsense again and waste even more of my time, I will have to hurt you. Come on brats. We're leaving."  
  
Trunks grinned up at his father. He really did hope to inherit his father's persuasive skills.  
  
Usagi nervously watched her teacher. She could tell by the tensing and shifting of his legs that he was furious and trying desperately to control his temper.  
  
Trunks tugged on her hand. "Come on, Usa."  
  
She pulled away. "Gohan's picking me up, remember?"  
  
Trunks frowned. "I don't like leaving you here alone," he said while glancing at the brooding gym coach.  
  
"I'll be alright." She gave Trunks a reassuring smile. His resolve crumpled.  
  
"Fine." He slowly released her hand. He really didn't like leaving her here without him.  
  
Vegeta watched the scene in silence. He found it amusing to watch Usagi almost shrink as soon as the connection with Trunks was severed. She wasn't the only one affected by the loss; his son seemed to grow stonier and adopted a brooding look. 'They depend on each other way too much.'  
  
"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Trunks said after giving a half- hearted wave over his shoulder. He wasn't very comfortable with goodbyes.  
  
As soon as the devil and his spawn had walked off, Coach Wilson rounded on Usagi. "You, girl. You could have said something. Football is very important; a necessity of life, and you didn't say a word. Not a word!"  
  
Usagi, standing with her head bowed, remained silent and let the man finish his rant.  
  
"–You're a disgrace to every man, woman, and child that his ever loved football." After giving the ultimate insult, he stalked off.  
  
Usagi looked around the now deserted playground with tired eyes. She'd have to wait a while for her older brother to get out of school. What's an hour or two anyway? Usagi hopped into a nearby swing and watched the monkey bar's shadow creep across the bleached sand.  
  
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'It's beautiful,' Usagi thought breathlessly as she watched the sun set over a tiny strip of ocean in the distance. The metal chains on either side of her moaned softly as a small breeze sent the swing swaying. Just as the last rays of sunlight crept below the horizon, Usagi noticed the ominous clouds tumbling overhead.  
  
She shivered.  
  
She hated thunder and lightning. Surely Gohan would come before it started to rain. As soon as the thought faded, the heavens opened and poured down the angels' tears.  
  
Usagi remained on the swing as the animals took flight from the unwanted wetness. She knew better than to take refuge under a tree. It was better to get wet than to get electrocuted. A small snake of fear slithered down her spine. The thought of thousands of bolts of energy scorching the blood in her veins, forcing her ears to bleed from the deafening thunder, and her vision to flash white before the dark, empty blindness invaded was not pleasant.  
  
Usagi jerked from her mental torture as a sliver of light jumped across the sky before being followed by its eternal companion, thunder. She curled up on the swing when the ground started to shake from the heaven's wrath. Gohan would come soon and take her home. She closed her eyes when an even more terrifying thought appeared.  
  
'I have to fly home in this!'  
  
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Krillen whistled a happy tune as he turned off the light to his office and headed out the door. He was finally caught up with all his work! Running an elementary school was harder than it looked. It was just too much sometimes. He checked his watch. 7:23.  
  
'A twelve hour work day. 18 is going to kill me.' He gulped. 'Okay, so I'm a little scared of my wife. Isn't every man?' Not for the first time he contemplated resigning from his job and becoming a teacher again. That way he could spend more time with his wife and daughter.  
  
"Aw, shit. Look at this mess," he complained after looked at the wall of rain that drenched the outside. Pulling out an umbrella from his satchel, he chuckled. 'Always be prepared.' He waltzed outside and held tight as the wind viciously yanked at his small shield of protection.  
  
"Oh no, you don't!" he yelled at his quivering umbrella, and with all of his super human strength he pulled it away from the wind's mercy.  
  
"Look at yourself," he reprimanded the umbrella. "You aren't worth the good money I wasted on you!" He glared menacingly at the ball of metal and cloth. "You should be ashamed of yourself." When his comment went unanswered, he sighed. The umbrella didn't even look sorry!  
  
"Krillen you are losing it," he mumbled to himself. The rain seemed to pour down harder in agreement. "Laugh it up, Dende. I know you're watching." He glared up at the sky and blinked away the water streaming into his eyes. Sometimes life could be so complicated. Krillen sighed and lowered his gaze.  
  
Wait.  
  
'What's that?' Squinting through the rain, he could make out a small shadow of a figure huddled under the swings of the playground. 'Who would be out playing in this storm?' The closer he got, the more insane reasons for why a child would be out trying to get themselves killed kept popping in his head. When he was just a few feet away, he could make out the tangled mass of a unique hairstyle.  
  
"Usagi?" he called softly. His voice was drowned out by the thunder and the cheering of the leaves. If she weren't part Saiyajin, she wouldn't have heard. Krillen watched as the slumped figure desperately clinging to the twin chain links straighten to a spine-snapping posture and delicately fold her hands in her lap.  
  
Usagi squinted through the dark haze of rain and could make out a pair of mud-covered business shoes.  
  
"Usagi, what are you doing out here?"  
  
She watched a stream of water drip from the tips of her bangs.  
  
When she didn't answer immediately, Krillen took a step forward and prepared to speak louder.  
  
Usagi stiffened when she saw him approach. 'He must be mad.' She gulped. "Gohan is supposed to pick me up."  
  
Krillen's eyes widened. "You mean you've been out here for –," he checked his watch, "– five and a half hours?!"  
  
She winced at his tone of voice. "He probably got caught up in something important." Even if the man said that he knew her older brother, she didn't know if she should tell him about Gohan being the Great Saiyaman.  
  
"Or he forgot you," Krillen mumbled.  
  
Usagi flinched. Surely her brother wouldn't have forgotten about her.  
  
Krillen ran a hand through his black locks. It was times like these he wished he was still bald; buffing his head always helped him think better. He looked down at the tangled mess that had once resembled an umbrella.  
  
"Well, regardless, we need to get out of this storm. Come on." He motioned with his umbrella and turned back toward the school.  
  
Usagi hesitated. "What if Gohan comes and we're inside?"  
  
"I'll sense him. Now, come on. I'm not sure if half-Saiyajins can get colds, but we aren't going to find out."  
  
Usagi silently followed the short man to the glass door that lead to her classroom. He fished out a huge ring of keys and unlocked the door.  
  
"Isn't this your class?" Krillen asked as he flicked on the lights and made his way to the row of cabinets on the tiled half of the room. Usagi fought down a smile. His shoes squeaked!  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Heh. You wouldn't happen to know where the towels are would you?" he asked while opening the first two cabinets.  
  
"No, sir."  
  
He sighed. "You can call me Krillen if you want." Usagi remained silent as she became engrossed with hanging her jacket.  
  
"Aha!" he screamed triumphantly. "Of course, they just have to be in the very last cabinet," he grumbled as he took out two fluffy towels. "Dry up, kid."  
  
"Thank you, Iiehana-sama," she bowed formerly before scrubbing vigorously at her soaked clothing.  
  
Krillen chuckled before following suit. When they were semidry and huddled under their towels next to the heating vent, Krillen decided he wanted to get to know this shy girl.  
  
"I want you to call me Krillen."  
  
Usagi jumped from the sudden comment. She debated her reply. Her mother wouldn't approve of being on a first name basis with an elder. 'But she isn't here is she?' a mischievous voice asked. 'It'll be okay just for right now.'  
  
"Okay."  
  
Krillen grinned. It was a start. "I feel kind of bad that I don't know anything about my best friend's daughter."  
  
Usagi paled. "My mother is your best friend?"  
  
Krillen blinked. "Chichi? Heavens no!" She could have sworn she heard fear in his voice. "I was talking about your father, Goku."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Silence reigned. "So, Usagi, why don't you tell me about yourself?"  
  
Silence. The heat turned back on with a soft hum. Lightning flashed above them. Usagi paled. Thunder so deafening the windows rattled made her jump a foot in the air and grip her towel tighter.  
  
Krillen frowned. "You're afraid of thunder and lightning?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
There was something in her fear that made her appear more . . . human. Krillen suddenly didn't feel that all Saiyajins were fearless monsters. "And yet you stayed outside for five and a half hours?" She didn't comment. 'Why?' Krillen thought. "I thought Saiyajins weren't scared of anything."  
  
"That's not true."  
  
Krillen raised an eyebrow. "Oh? From the way Vegeta goes on about it, I was convinced that Saiyajins didn't even stoop so low as to pass gas."  
  
Usagi smiled and relaxed a little. She really liked this man.  
  
"Well, if Saiyajins get scared, what does the almighty prince fear? Maybe I can use it against him," he whispered the last sentence conspiratorially while rubbing his hands together and glancing from side to side as if looking for eavesdroppers.  
  
She tried to remember. "Bulma-san said that he was scared of sleeping on the couch."  
  
Krillen threw back his head and laughed. His laughter was so deep tears streamed down his cheeks and his shoulders shook. "I-I can't believe she t- told you that."  
  
Usagi frowned in confusion. 'What's so funny? It must be a grownup thing.'  
  
"Is he scared a monster is hiding in the cushions or something? The monster isn't going to eat him, is it?" Usagi started to get worried. She didn't know what she would do if something happened to Vegeta. "Trunks would be really sad."  
  
Krillen calmed at the seriousness in her tone. "You care for Vegeta, don't you?"  
  
Usagi curled up tighter. "I'd miss him if a monster ate him."  
  
Krillen smiled. It seemed that even this little girl had a speck of the Saiyajin pride repressing her from admitting her feelings. "I really didn't expect anyone to care for him when we first met, least of all Bulma."  
  
"Trunks and I thought you lied when you said you knew him."  
  
Krillen shook his head. "I've known the Saiyajin prince for a long time, ever since he came to take over Earth."  
  
"What? Veggie wouldn't do that."  
  
"He's changed a lot over the years. He wanted to gather the Dragonballs and wish for immortality."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Krillen shrugged. "I would imagine because he wanted to kill Frieza to get revenge for his dead race."  
  
Usagi's face grew stony. "Veggie told us about Frieza when he explained Super Saiyajins."  
  
To lighten the mood, Krillen forced a smile. "Well, if you like Vegeta, then you'd have loved your father. Goku was completely innocent and a ditz at times but he was the best friend anyone could ask for. He saved my butt more times than I can count, and saved Earth at every turn."  
  
Usagi contemplated this for a moment. Vegeta had told her of the third class Saiyajin's many victories. "Vegeta told me of his power."  
  
"He seems to have told you a lot of things. I never imagined him as the talkative type."  
  
Usagi giggled. She didn't have to look up to see Krillen's funny face; the tone in his voice sounded more than doubtful.  
  
"Sometimes I watch Veggie train cause he gets lonely and needs someone to talk to even if he won't admit it."  
  
"Don't you train?" Krillen inquired while trying to imagine this shy girl planting her fist in someone's belly.  
  
Usagi shook her head. "No."  
  
He frowned. "Why not?"  
  
"I don't want to."  
  
His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Don't want to? If there is one thing I know about Saiyajins, it's their unquenchable thirst for battle."  
  
Krillen watched the child shift uneasily in the wooden chair. His teacher sense kicked in. "Is it because of Chichi?"  
  
Usagi stiffened and sat rigid while staring blankly at the heating vent between her feet. Krillen had his answer but was mentally cursing himself for his eternal stupidity. Things were going good, she was loosening up and he was getting to know her, when he shoved his foot down his throat and ruined everything. At least now he knew that it was some type of tension between daughter and mother that caused her shyness. If only he could break through somehow. But he knew that the only people that had seen her true self were Trunks and Vegeta.  
  
He saw her glance impatiently outside and concluded that this was as far as he was going to get. He stood. "Well, it looks as if the rain has stopped. There's still no sign of Gohan. I think we should start heading out."  
  
"We?"  
  
He frowned down at the girl's bowed head. Suddenly he realized something. 'She hasn't ever looked me in the eyes.'  
  
"You don't think I'm going to just let you fly off by yourself, do you?"  
  
Usagi's brow furrowed. "But, I'm not your responsibility."  
  
"You're my friend and friends look out for each other."  
  
She blinked. "You want to be my friend?"  
  
Krillen frowned at her reluctance. "Of course!"  
  
She was confused. She had just met this strange man today, and he already decided that he wanted to be her friend. 'Why?' "B-But you're too old!"  
  
Krillen gasped dramatically and gripped his heart. "Oh, gee thanks. You just knocked my self-confidence down a few notches."  
  
Usagi smiled. He certainly was funny. Maybe being friends with him wouldn't be too bad.  
  
"Kids can have adult friends."  
  
"Well . . . okay."  
  
Krillen grinned and jumped into the air. Maybe he had a chance to break down her walls after all. "I have an idea."  
  
Usagi titled her head to the side and looked at his shoes curiously. "What?"  
  
"You said Gohan is supposed to pick you up after school."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And the local high school doesn't let out until two hours after we do." Usagi didn't have a clue at what he was getting at. Maybe her new friend was crazy? Krillen, oblivious to her thoughts, continued excitedly, "So why don't you hang out in my office after school instead of waiting at the playground?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, I could use the company and you wouldn't get stuck in another storm like todays."  
  
Usagi still wasn't sure if her new friend was being serious or if he was really crazy and just acting normal.  
  
Krillen sensed her hesitation. "I could sense for Gohan so you won't miss him." Still she hesitated. He had to get her to stay with him if he wanted to get to know her. It seemed really important all of a sudden. 'Come on, Krillen, think. Think! What do you know about Saiyajins that could help –'  
  
He paused and a slow grin spread across his face. Struggling for nonchalance, he leaned against the counter and spoke. "One of the PTO members owns an Italian restaurant where I'm sure he could get me special deals on pizza."  
  
At the mention of food, Usagi's stomach grumbled. She may not eat as fast as a Saiyajin, but she was still always hungry.  
  
Krillen grinned and knew her answer.  
  
"I guess it would be okay."  
  
"Great. Now, about getting you home."  
  
Usagi stubbornly shook her head. "Trust is an important part of friendship. Since we're friends now, you should trust me when I say I can fly home by myself."  
  
Krillen's jaw dropped. Since when did a seven-year old outsmart someone his age? 'Maybe I'm really stupid.' He sighed. "Okay, but if I find out that you were kidnapped or sucked into a runaway tornado, I won't ever let you fly off alone again. Understand?"  
  
Usagi nodded. She grabbed her coat and opened the glass sliding door. It had stopped raining, but the ground was still wet. The rain clouds had not yet passed. They blocked out the moonlight making the day seem later than it really was.  
  
"Bye Krillen-san!" she called over her shoulder before taking off in the direction of her house. She couldn't wait to tell Goten about everything that happened today. He had been really bummed out when he discovered that she and Trunks got to go to school without him. Now that she was friends with the principal, maybe they could sneak him in or something. All three of them at school together, now, that would be the best thing ever!  
  
Usagi's mood lifted on her way home. She was happy until the clouds crackled and spewed forth torrents of rain. Her dress that had taken so long to dry was soaked through by the time she landed at her doorstep an hour later.  
  
One of the reasons her mother didn't pick her up or take her to Open House was because they lived about five hours away from the city. Since she could fly, the time was cut down to about an hour and a half. Trunks and his family lived in the city, just a short ten minute walk from school.  
  
Usagi wrung the excess water from her hair and her dress before she stepped into her warm house.  
  
Gohan was passing by the living room when he heard the front door open. 'I wonder who that could be.' He froze in shock when a very water-logged Usagi stepped in from the monster of a storm raging outside. He looked confused for a minute and glanced at the clock of the coffee table. 'Why is she home so late?'  
  
Then it hit him.  
  
"Oh Dende, I knew I forgot to do something today." He couldn't believe he forgot his little sister. He cringed when he thought about how long she must have waited and how abandoned she must have felt. Suddenly he felt like the scum of the Earth. And what was worse, he hadn't even noticed she was missing! Now Goten's antsy behavior at dinner suddenly made sense. At least someone noticed she wasn't here.  
  
"Gohan, sweetie, where are you? Oh, there you –," his mother stopped in mid-sentence when she saw Usagi on the floor yanking at her left shoe. One look at the bloody murder in his mother's eyes, and he suddenly felt ten times worse. He knew what was coming.  
  
He turned on his heel and headed for his room suddenly remembering a history test he forgot to study for. 'If I had just remembered to pick her up she wouldn't be in trouble.' He forced the guilt from his mind. After all, he had more important things to worry about, like acing that history exam. Besides, what business was it of his to contradict his mother's actions?  
  
He was just about to close the door to his bedroom when he heard the unmistakable sound of flesh hitting flesh followed closely by the echo of a body crashing into the floor. Goten's horrified, pale face haunted Gohan's dreams that night in addition to the usual faceless blond child sobbing on the floor.  
  
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I gave you a long chapter this time, so be nice and review. Tell me what your favorite part was and the things you think I should work on. Every comment is welcome. Don't worry about the abuse, the whole story isn't going to have her beat up. I promise. It should end within the next few chapters. My goal with Usagi's character was to make her everybody's victim. I want people to look at her and think that she's the source of all their problems. But, don't worry. She's going to kick some major butt in the end. Review and tell me what you think so far! 


	6. Restaurant

**Chapter 5**

Everyone waited anxiously outside the fancy restaurant. The sun had just set sucking away the warmth of the evening but leaving the sky light enough to continue masking the stars. The assembled group, gathered beneath the huge oak tree just beyond the driving circle, kept glancing at their watches and back up to the sky. They all were wondering the same thing. Where was Goku?

"So, is Goku really going to show up? We've been waiting for what seems like forever," Bulma commented while rubbing her arms in an attempt to ward off the cold. [1]

"He'll be here. I know it," Gohan stated confidently from his place beside his mother.

Usagi tugged at her pink dress and shifted feet. She really hated meeting new people.

The old man laughed a little. "Heh heh. When has Goku ever let us down before? Of course he'll be here."

They sounded so confident. She was more than a little skeptical. The old geezer claimed that this man, her father, had contacted him from the dead while he was crapping on the toilet. She and Trunks thought it was much more likely that the old fart was losing his mind and starting to hear things.

After witnessing everyone's confidence, Usagi began to doubt herself. It was her unreasonable fear of this man she didn't remember that rejected the thought of his presence. She feared he would be exactly like her mother. After all, like married like. After school, Krillen had recounted story after story of her father's legendary strength laughing at his memories, while she sat cringing at the excruciating pain the future beatings would bring.

Her father: the strongest man in the universe. She shuddered. Her life was hell. She had accepted that fact; now the only problem was dealing with it.

Trunks, seeing her shiver, grabbed her hand and pulled her close to his side. His tail wrapped around her waist. "It is a little cold out here," he said by way of explanation.

She nodded and leaned her head against his shoulder. He was always looking out for her. '_I wish I could repay him somehow.' _Usagi's thoughts were interrupted by her older brother's amused voice.

"So, Krillen, I bet he'll hardly recognize you with your goofy hairdo."

Her principal looked highly offended as he patted the mop of black hair that resembled a drowned cat smothered in hair gel. "Hey! It's stylish."

Earlier that week, Videl, a girl at Gohan's high school, blackmailed her older brother into participation in the World's Martial Arts tournament held every four years. Gohan, having no other choice, accepted the terms. Once everyone heard of Gohan entering, they decided to enter as well and make him work for the title.

It seemed that even Goku in the next dimension had heard of everyone entering the competition. He was permitted to return to this dimension for no more than one week [2] due to the amount of times he had risked his life for the planet.

Upon hearing of her friend's return, Bulma made reservations at the nicest, most expensive restaurant in town. After all, nothing was too good for friendship, at least that's what she told herself. Really, she hoped that the regal setting would keep her husband from picking a fight.

Vegeta signed her and Trunks out of school earlier that day so Bulma could fuss about their evening attire for a few extra hours.

As each new person landed, Usagi was sure to look them over and read their ki level. When Vegeta overheard her telling Trunks about what happened the night of the storm, he insisted that they learn to read ki levels; so she would know if her brother was still in school or if he had forgotten her again.

"Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan greeted excitedly. Usagi stopped and stared in shock.

"He's green!" Trunks whispered to her in wonder.

Vegeta snorted from Trunks's other side. "That's the Namekian green bean. He's a weakling."

Usagi heard the green man growl at them before he retreated to the corner of the group.

"Oh where in the world could Goku be?" her mother's whining voice forced Usagi from the past. "Maybe they weren't able to bring him back."

Goten snuck away while his mother's attention was consumed with sulking.

"Do you think he's going to like me?"

Trunks shrugged. "My Dad said he was stupid, so I'm sure he'd like anybody."

Goten frowned, "My Dad's not stupid!" He turned to his sister and whispered, "Is he?"

Trunks butted in, "How's she supposed to know?"

"Well, she's met him before."

Trunks rolled his eyes. "She wasn't even one when he died."

Goten blinked before grinning wide. "Heh heh, oh yeah."

Both Trunks and Vegeta shook their heads and mumbled, "Dumbass."

Usagi giggled. "Of course he'll like you, Goten. You're too cute not to like!" Goten blushed fire engine red and looked at the root of the tree he was standing on.

"What about me?" Trunks reminded, wanting a compliment as well.

"What about you?"

He gasped. "Oh, so that's how it is." He detangled his limbs from around her and took a step back. "No, no," he held out his hand as if to stop her from approaching, "Don't even think about apologizing. The damage has been done. You've officially hurt my feelings."

Usagi lifted an eyebrow, "This coming from the same person who said that girls have cooties?"

Trunks glared over her shoulder at Goten. "I can't believe you told her that!"

"Heh heh...Oops?"

Trunks rolled his eyes and looked back at Usagi. "Err...what I meant to say was that HUMAN girls have cooties."

She folded her arms. "If you haven't forgotten, I'm half human."

"Err...what I meant to say was that only FULL HUMAN girls have cooties."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Well?" he prompted.

"Lavender hair is kind of cute."

He refused to return her hug. "Oh, so it's only my hair that's cute."

She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "I think you're cute too, Trunks."

He grinned and wrapped his arms around her. "That's what I thought."

From behind them, Vegeta grinned at his son's stubbornness. He often found the children's conversations much more entertaining.

A cold wind viciously whipped at everyone's clothing; the leaves twirled in front of them. Usagi clutched at Trunks desperately trying to escape the cold. Her grip was so tight Trunks felt as if she were trying to meld them into one person. He pulled her closer.

Just as the merciless wind was dying down, a man appeared before the group. Two fingers were raised to touch his forehead; a look of intense concentration was spread across his face.

Usagi clinched her eyes shut. She didn't want to meet her father. '_Go away. Go away. Please go away,' _she mentally pleaded. Trunks quickly pulled her behind him concealing her from everyone's view.

"Huh?" most of the adults breathed.

The man snapped from his trance. "Hey. I'm back!"

Trunks's concentration was momentarily broken. '_He looks exactly like Goten!'_

"Dad, it's you!" Gohan cried.

Piccolo, "Goku."

Krillen, "Whoa, somebody pinch me."

Usagi laid her chilled cheek against the silk of Trunks's formal dinner jacket. She heard the new voice laugh.

"You guys have changed a lot in seven years. Gohan, you're giant!"

"Oh, Goku!"

Usagi moved closer to Trunks at the sound of her mother's voice. Trunks's tail, her safety blanket from the world, wrapped around her waist while she wrapped hers around him.

"Welcome back to Earth, Goku," the old man greeted.

"It's him," Bulma spoke breathlessly with a choked voice.

"So, guys, are you just going to stand there and stare at me all day?"

"Dad! Goku!" The group's voices blurred together to form a continuous string of laughter, tears, and happy chatter.

Vegeta expectantly remained standing next to his son. Usagi was grateful for his watchful presence. '_My guardian angel,'_ she thought.

"Oh sweetheart, I've missed you." Her mother's unusual honey-coated voice scared Usagi more than when it quaked from barely suppressed rage.

"I've missed you too, Chichi. Huh?"

"Uh . . . oh," Usagi heard her younger brother's hesitant voice. She peeked over Trunks's shoulder, and sure enough, Goten was hiding behind their mother. She could only see the back of the strange man, so she was safe from him spotting her.

'_I wonder what he's going to do to Goten.'_ A brief picture of her little brother's bruised and bloody face flashed before her eyes. '_Please no.'_ She wouldn't allow this stranger to hurt him. If that meant she had to take the beatings, then . . . '_So be it.'_

"Goten, it's okay," Chichi coaxed.

Usagi watched Goten stubbornly refuse to come out.

"Hey, I think there's a little me hiding behind your leg Chichi."

Goten glanced over at them. She knew he was thinking about Trunks's comment on how if the man was stupid – and that last comment could only have been made by someone dumber than shit – he would like anybody. Goten hesitantly stepped away from his mother.

"I'm . . . Goten."

The man kneeled, "And I'm Goku . . . Hi!"

There was a long silence. The two identical people, separated only by age, seemed to stare at each other for centuries as the seconds dragged into years in an agonizing suspense that only seemed to exist in such moments of extreme tenseness.

"Daddy!"

She let out the breath she didn't remember holding when her brother jumped into the laughing man's awaiting arms. "Whoa, little guy. You're a strong one aren't you?" He laughed again. "Here you go. You want to be an airplane?"

"Yeah!"

Usagi quickly slipped behind Trunks when the man, Goku, started to swing Goten around in circles.

"Listen up, Goku," a shrill voice slashed through the laughter.

"Who's that?" she asked Trunks.

"Some old fart floating on a crystal ball."

"Remember that you only have a week in this world. That's all I can do," the voice croaked again.

"Uh huh. Yeah, I know."

"I'll see you then." A strange floating sound echoed through the leaves of the oak tree slowly growing fainter by the moment.

"Okay. Thank you, Baba!"

There was a long period of silence as everyone sorted through their thoughts. The new man found the courage to speak. "Whoa, Krillen, I didn't know you had hair!"

Peace was restored once again. All at once everyone burst into speech and happy chatter as they awaited their turn to talk to the dead man.

Usagi listened to the wind blowing through the leaves of the forest behind her. "Do you think anyone will notice if we leave?" she asked Trunks.

"Dad would."

"We could run really, really fast?" she offered desperately.

He shook his head, "They'd still sense us."

She sighed and snuggled closer to him. "Then, I have no choice, huh?"

Trunks studied the haloed-man with a critical eye. "I could take him." The reassurance slipped from him by habit.

"But, isn't he supposed to be super strong?"

"My Dad might need to help a little," he admitted sheepishly.

"As if I'd help you brat," Vegeta's amused voice sounded from their right.

Goku scanned the group and frowned. "I think we're missing somebody," he commented to himself. Goten shifted from his place on his father's shoulders. "Hey, champ? Where's Usagi? I haven't seen her yet. Nothing's happened to her, has it?"

Goten tensed before answering in a strained voice, "She's here."

Goku was even more confused. He closed his eyes and stretched out his senses. The mob of lesser kis in the restaurant made his reading difficult, so he blocked out all of the weak ones. '_Why can't I sense her?'_

"What's wrong, Goku?" Yamcha asked.

"Where's Usagi?" Everyone looked around in confusion.

Krillen laughed, "Have you checked behind Trunks? I swear that girl has spent half her life looking at his back."

Goku's gaze skipped over the group to the two Saiyajin prices standing under an oak tree. He narrowed his senses to just that small area. "Are you sure?"

"Trust me."

Goku left the group and grinned as he approached the other full-blooded Saiyajin. "Hey, Vegeta! Man, have I missed our spars. There's just no good competition in Other World. Say, you wouldn't happen to know where my daughter is, would you?"

Usagi watched the older prince's reaction from her hiding place. She wondered if he would treat the new man with the same relaxed banter and unwavering trust like everyone else. She should have known better; he tensed instead.

"Kakarot, you don't have a daughter."

"I don't?"

Vegeta sneered, "Once again, your stupidity astounds me, shames the Saiyajin race, and reaches new heights with every word you speak."

Trunks snickered. His father had been right; the man was pathetic.

Goku looked down at the purple-haired boy when he heard the laughing. "Wow, Trunks! You look like a mini version of Mirai. The last time I saw you, you were just a little baby that was this big," he said while showing a small length with his hands.

Trunks raised an eyebrow.

Goku's gaze was drawn to the small strands of liquid gold that waved from behind the boy and into a small patch of moonlight. Krillen was right. The big man squatted down to Trunks' level and watched with interest as the boy tensed.

"I was wondering if I could talk to Usagi."

Goku blinked in shock when the boy's guarded stare transformed into one that bordered on hatred. '_What in the world...'_

Usagi clinched her eyes together seeking solace in the darkness. Her grip became desperate. The silk of Trunks' shirt seemed cold against her fevered cheek. '_Please go away. Please...'_

"Son Usagi! Come out here right now! Your father didn't travel all the way from the Next Dimension just to watch you cower behind that monkey-tailed monster."

Goku watched Trunks' scorching gaze skip over him to land on Chichi. In that moment Goku suddenly feared letting his wife out of his sight. There was something very wrong with a seven year-old thinking about bloody murder.

Usagi winced when she heard the sound of Chichi's enraged voice. She knew that the next time her mother cornered her was going to be very painful. After taking a few deep breaths to help steady her racing heart, she took Trunks's hand.

Goku watched a small, pale hand coax Trunks's fisted one into relaxing. He watched the tension drain from the young Saiyajin with each soft stroke.

"Usagi!" Chichi's shrill voice sliced through the dread. The young girl ignored her mother for a moment as she looked down at their intertwined fingers. The fair skin on her smooth hand looked sickly and translucent set against Trunks's bigger, tanned, callous-covered fingers. They were so different, almost too different. He was so strong and steady while she...

She stepped from her sanctuary.

Goku studied his daughter with interest. The last time he had seen her she hadn't even been able to talk yet. Now, she had long, golden hair that reached her ankles and was wound into a peculiar hairstyle. She was very petite, small and skinny, and pale. Goku thought a good wind could blow her over. She looked . . . '_Fragile.'_

"My name's Goku," he paused for a moment and thought to add, "Your Dad."

Usagi hesitated for a moment before grabbing the side of her pink dress and executing a perfect curtsy. "I'm Usagi. It's nice to meet you," she hoped the lie wasn't too obvious. She couldn't remember any rule that covered how one was supposed to greet a long, lost relative. Since he was a stranger, she figured she should treat him like one.

"Usagi, that's your father not some man off the street! Stop standing there and give him a hug."

She reluctantly released Trunks's hand and stepped forward and into her father's open arms. Goku could have sworn he was hugging a piece of wood, she was so stiff. '_Maybe she's just shy,'_ he thought and quickly released her when he realized that she might not be enjoying his touch. '_But Saiyajins aren't shy, are they?'_ he thought as he watched her slip behind her friend.

Trunks could feel Usagi trembling from fear. "Are we going to just stand here and freeze to death, no pun intended," he glanced at Goku, "or are we going to eat?"

Goku snapped from his troubled thoughts when his stomach growled. "Yeah, let's eat!"

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The restaurant was pleasantly warm compared to the biting chill of the evening. It's dimly lit interior and hushed atmosphere summoned the weary rich, inviting them to linger over heated drinks and mouthwatering dishes. A man with really shiny shoes escorted the huge party to a circular table in the back of the room after giving Bulma a dramatic bow and calling her 'Madame Briefs' with a straight face.

After seating herself between her little brother and her best friend, Usagi scanned through the menu while the waiter explained the specials. She winced when she heard the whispered nasal voice scratch its way from the man's throat. She would hate to sound like that her whole life. '_I wonder if someone punched him in the throat when he was little.'_

"Do you have hamburgers?"

The waiter blinked. "'amburgers? 'AMBURGERS?! Monsieur, our estableeshment does na serve filthy, American 'amburgers." He sniffed.

Goten squinted. "Did you just call me a sewer?" He turned to his friend. "Trunks, can you hear this guy?" He looked at the goateed man who was slowly turning red. "I didn't want an 'amburger; I want a HAMburger."

Trunks shook his head sadly. "Goten, you don't come to an expensive restaurant and order a burger."

"But, I like hamburgers," he whined.

"Sweetie," his mom interrupted, "You can order whatever you want."

"See? Mom said I could," he told the shaking waiter.

Bulma hastily added before the maitre d' had heart failure, "With as much money I'm paying, we could demand that you strip down and dance the Macarena instead of making a few sandwiches. Your choice." She smiled cheerfully.

Trunks gagged and shouted as loud as possible, gaining all the customers' attention. "Ewww. I don't want to see him naked. He's probably all crusty and wrinkly!"

Vegeta bit his lip to keep from shouting with laughter. '_That's my son!'_

Countless outraged glares centered on the gaping server. The wandering manager stepped up next to his employee. "Is there a problem, Harry?"

"Harry?" Krillen cut in with a grin, "Is that a French name?" he asked innocently.

The trembling waiter whirled around and stalked off with a fleeting, "Well, I never."

"I'm really sorry about that folks. Harry is kind of fanatical and takes his job _way_ too seriously. Did he take your orders?" the portly manager drawled with a friendly smile.

Goten stuck his arm in the air and waved it like a madman. "Mister, mister can I have a hamburger?"

The man whipped out a pad. "Why, certainly."

Goten wasn't finished. "Oh, well, can I have fifteen?"

"Fifteen what?"

"Hamburgers!"

"FIFTEEN?!"

"Well, yeah. Or should I get eighteen? Billy has been kind of loud today," he commented to himself.

Trunks nudged Usagi. "Who's Billy?"

She giggled. "Didn't you know? Goten named his stomach."

Trunks blinked. "Why?"

"He was eavesdropping when Veggie explained that guys liked to name their important body parts. He said his stomach was really important, and he always wanted a friend named Billy so...."

Vegeta coughed to cover his laugh. Kids say the darnedest things.

"And what would you like, missy?"

"Oh, she won't be eating tonight," Chichi cut in. '_Or the rest of this week,'_ she silently added.

Usagi closed her mouth and stared at the impressive collection of forks next to her empty plate. She knew she would be punished for treating her father like a stranger. '_No dinner,'_ she gulped. '_I can deal with that.'_ Her stomach voiced its complaints. '_But I don't think my stomach can.'_

"Why can't she eat?" Goku asked his wife while giving his daughter a curious look. He noted her skinny little waist and pale complexion for the second time that night. '_Is something wrong with her?'_ A horrifying thought popped into his head. '_What if, like, she can't eat _anything ever. _What if she just shrivels up and starves.'_ He shuddered. '_That would suck.'_

Chichi stared very hard at her husband, "She's being punished."

Krillen studied the woman carefully. "What did she do?"

Chichi's scorching glare swung over to look at the short man. He gulped and shifted in his seat. It felt like she could wither his soul with the power of her glittering black eyes. "She disobeyed my orders."

"You order around slaves and subjects, not children," Vegeta spoke from the other end of the table. He was observing the entire conversation from the background to store away and analyze later.

Goku looked from his enraged wife to his prince and back. "Honey, I don't think you should take away food as punishment. You used to ground Gohan when he got in trouble; why can't you do the same thing with Usagi?" he asked genuinely confused.

Chichi sniffed, "I've birthed and raised three children all by myself, Goku; you have no right to dictate to me."

Goku stiffened and let the comment hit home. He hated that she pointed out the one thing he regretted in his life, not being there for his kids. Until Gohan was five, Goku could honestly say that he was a very attentive father. Then Raditz, an enemy, came to Earth and threatened his family and the planet, forcing him to leave for extensive training.

The third-class Saiyajin looked over to the green alien sipping a bottle of water. Piccolo became Gohan's sensei in his absence and pretty much raised his son. He envied their closeness. He left Usagi before her first birthday when he died in a suicide mission to save the planet from another enemy named Cell. He never really knew her. With only his limited knowledge of children from when Gohan as little to draw from he could honestly say that he knew nothing about female children. Hell, for all he knew, Usagi was supposed to be that skinny and that pale.

And what a surprise it was to come back to life and discover you have another child. What kind of father was he when he didn't meet his youngest son until the boy was five? Hell, he didn't even know Chichi was pregnant. She was right. He had absolutely no grounds to demand to have any part of his children's lives.

Vegeta stared at his rival for a long moment. The third-class Saiyajin was usually bubbly and so energetic that you wanted to either slap him into silence or buy massive amounts of earplugs. Now, however, the warrior wore a guarded face that seldom graced his face outside the battlefield. The prince found it very sad that one of the strongest beings in the universe backed down from a '_woman',_ a very weak '_human'_ woman.

"Mom," Gohan admonished, "Dad had his reasons, good reasons. We always understood," he defended. Silence washed over the massive group as everyone's thoughts wandered into the past.

Trunks glared at the woman across the table when he heard Usagi's stomach growl louder. What he would give to have a really sharp object at the moment. Sighing when he realized that he couldn't use his extensive knowledge of medieval torture – the library book had had pictures, really gory, really bloody pictures he groaned longingly – he began scouring the menu with renewed vigor. If Usagi couldn't order, then he would order for her. He cleared his throat and brought everyone back to the immediate problem of ordering dinner.

"I want seven _caneton a l'Orange _with a side dish of grilled asparagus_, _six double chocolate soufflés with extra whip cream, a bowl of mashed potatoes, four plates of escargot, eight plates of chocolate chip cookies, broiled shark, and, of course, no meal is complete without macaroni and cheese." What could he say? His mother raised him to have rich tastes.

The manager glanced at his messy chicken scratch. "Are you sure you can eat all of this?"

Trunks just grinned. The man sighed and continued around the table. He knew this was going to be a long night.

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The army of tuxedoed waiters carrying horrendous amounts of food arrived not thirty minutes later – a record with two full Saiyajins ordering. Every available space on the gigantic table was covered in what resembled a carpet of snails, fancily decorated giant shrimp, huge steaks, ribs that resembled a cow's whole left side, salads that could fill the Grand Canyon, desserts with the whip cream piled so high that it seemed to overshadow Mount Fuji's peaks, and, yes, a stack of freshly grilled hamburgers that practically dripped with grease.

"The rest of your order will be brought out as room becomes available. If you need anything more just ask. Enjoy," the manager quickly excused himself to go fan the exhausted cooks.

Usagi gazed at the assortment of foods and knew that she couldn't touch one morsel. She pulled her knees up into the chair and closed her eyes; maybe if she couldn't see it then she wouldn't be tempted. The only problem with her plan was the fact that Saiyajins had a very keen sense of smell.

"Usagi, could you be a dear and pass the rolls?" her mother's honeyed voice pierced through her thoughts. She scanned over the steaming duck, creamy mashed potatoes, cheesy macaroni and cheese, champagne bottles, the speckled trout, and coconut cake looking for a basket of rolls. Her stomach was easily forced into submission; her saliva glands, however, were another story. After a few minutes of intense searching, she turned back to her mother.

The woman was smirking, "Oh, never mind. I guess we forgot to order them."

Throughout the dinner Chichi asked someone to pass something that had to cross through her daughter's line of vision in an attempt to test her discipline and worsen the torture. Usagi focused on the white candle in the center of the table crammed between the roasted pig-looking dish and the grilled dolphin to keep from attacking the numerous cuisines. Its flickering flame danced in time to each hand shovel of the gorging Saiyajins.

Usagi sat with her back as straight as a rod and her hands folded demurely in her lap when she saw her mother eyeing her posture disapprovingly. Her gaze locked onto the tongue of light as she thought about the injustices in her life.

Why did her mother treat her different from her brothers? What was so terribly wrong with her? Was she such a bad person that she had to be punished more? She wouldn't wish her life on either of her brothers, but why was she treated so differently? '_Is it because I'm a girl?'_ That didn't seem right.

'_It's not right.'_ She thought, '_It's not fair.'_ Her arms tensed with anger. '_What did I ever do to her?! What could I have done that would make her so mad, so mean?' _ She scoured her memory for any offense, any careless comment that would have set her mother against her. '_Nothing.'_ She couldn't think of anything she had done that could be so terrible. She paused.

'_What if there is no reason? What if she just hurts me because she likes it?' _A small bubble of shock floated through her. She had never even considered that before. Her vision filled with winking black dots as she fought back the rage. A boiling pit of anger churned inside of her that was so intense she thought her skin would blister from its heat. Her mind raced from memory to memory seeing every act in a new light. '_All those rules, all that pain...Everything for-for _nothing!'

The gurgling sound of water being emptied from an upturned bottle combined with the dinging tune it made against the brass candlestick drew everyone's attention from their food. A small curl of smoke lazily looped on its ascent to the high ceiling of the restaurant. The scent of a freshly extinguished flame permeated the air overshadowing the delightful chorus of aromas the dishes produced.

Piccolo was on his feet and gasping for breath. The hand that held the bottle hovering over the dripping wick of the candle was shaking violently, depicting an uneasiness scarcely seen in the stoic Namek. His usually emotionless eyes were wide with shock and staring at the only female child at the table.

Usagi blinked when the glowing object over her gaze suddenly vanished. Its absence caused her thoughts to temporarily drift back to reality.

"Piccolo, are you alright? You look like you just saw a ghost," Gohan carefully asked his sensei, half rising from his chair. He had never seen the Namek act so strangely.

Piccolo ignored his friend. "Do it again," he ordered.

Usagi couldn't tear her gaze from the soaked candle, couldn't think to answer, and so sat silently.

Chichi looked from her daughter to the big-eared alien and back again. She couldn't decide who she disliked more. The tall green man had dared to take Gohan from her for 'training'. She didn't see the boy for a full year, and when he did come home he was half wild and very disrespectful. She could never blame her son though, because it was all the Namek's fault he was corrupted.

Piccolo threw the empty plastic bottle against the far wall and smacked a fist onto the table, causing the plates to clink together. "Do it again!"

Gohan's eyebrows rose sharply at his teacher's roar. Piccolo never yelled. '_Do what again?'_

"Piccolo, chill out man," Krillen cajoled as he placed a restraining hand on the bulging green muscles. The Namek shrugged off the hand and growled. Krillen gulped and shifted his chair away. The green man wasn't nice even when he was happy; when he was pissed, well, one can only imagine...

Trunks stood, "Don't order her around!"

Gohan scrambled to his feet, "Show some respect!"

And that's when the shouting started. Usagi's head throbbed with every raised voice. Even Vegeta entered the foray, bellowing so loudly the roof shook. Everyone was on their feet screaming at each other, the gourmet food all but forgotten.

And, still, Usagi couldn't look from the black length of twisted fabric protruding from the top of the white candle. It was too much. The yelling, her new revelation. Her anger bubbled to the surface. '_Always the yelling, the fighting, the pain. All because of me._' Angry tears burned in her eyes. '_Why can't they just leave me alone?!' _ All of the anger, the hurt, and the unshed tears fueled the raging inferno scalding her insides. It was too much. Her forehead blazed with pain as the wick sparked to life with a vengeance.

The flame was no paltry burst of energy that could be contained at the summit of a thin stick of wax. The longer she stared with unseeing eyes the bigger the element grew until it consumed the candle turning it to a boiling puddle. The brass fixture turned black as the tablecloth shriveled beneath the rising blaze.

Everyone standing backed from the table. "Fire!" someone to their right yelled. There was a confused moment as the customers' gazes swiveled to their table before their chairs scrapped against the marble floors in unison. Usagi continued to sit and stare not seeing the flaming mass heading for her.

"Usagi! Move!" Trunks shouted. His frantic voice couldn't penetrate her dazed state. He darted forward when he saw her reaching out to touch the crackling tongues of light and caught her hand. He pulled her up and hauled her back a few paces just as the orange heat washed over the wooden chair. The fire had consumed the table; its flames reaching so high they licked the tips of the crystal chandelier.

The army of waiters rushed forward with fire extinguishers a blazing. Sirens squealed to life in the distance. The water system sputtered to life and showered down a freezing torrent of rain. The fire wasn't hindered. It kept growing, expanding, consuming, creeping forward.

'_To me,'_ Usagi realized. '_It's coming to me.'_ Her mind seemed fogged and sluggish, as though she had reached a curtain concealing something deep within herself. Even from a few feet away the blaze held her enthralled. How could something so beautiful be dangerous? Usagi felt the dancing mass call to her and experienced a great longing. If she touched this great beast of fire she could know both the joy of its texture as the spectrum of color slides through her fingers and the pain of its heat as the flames scorch her skin. Decisions, decisions. She made her choice.

Trunks' attention snapped from the scurrying humans to Usagi when she started to struggle. He gripped her tighter when he realized where she wanted to go. "Usagi? What's wrong with you? Snap out of it!" Still she continued to fight free.

"Release her," Piccolo ordered.

"Are you crazy? She'll die if I do." While Trunks' attention became divided, Usagi slipped from his grasp and raced to the inferno. "Usagi!" Trunks cried as he lunged for her.

Piccolo grabbed him. "Don't be a fool." As soon as Usagi was within reach, the fire leapt to life and consumed her fragile body while blackening the pristine ceiling.

"No!" Trunks struggled vainly against the Namekian.

"Get your hands off my son," Vegeta snapped when he noticed his son's predicament.

Immediately Trunks ran thinking he could save his friend before she was hurt too badly. The fire roared still higher and seemed to form a barrier against intruders. The young Saiyajin fell to his knees, temporarily blinded.

"Trunks, honey, what's wrong?" his mother asked.

"Usagi," was all he could gasp out.

"Usagi?" Goten paled as he looked into the crackling firewall.

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Usagi stared at her hand in fascination. The flames twirled and kissed the sides of her fingers. They licked up her hair and skimmed across her blazing forehead. She felt no pain. There was only joy, the joy of her merging with this unpredictable element.

All around her a sea of churning images danced before her, teasing her imagination with warped pictures of countless beautiful things. She thought she saw a bow and arrow made of fire, but it was consumed before her was totally sure.

"**_Usssaaagi._**" The delicate whisper of her name brushed passed her hear. It was a girl's voice – no a woman's. She whirled around and found only a dense wall of twitching flames.

"**Do not beee afraiiid**," the voice came again as an echo this time. This mysterious woman seemed to be speaking from miles away. "**You are my prinnceesss, my Serenityyy, my queen**."

Usagi blinked. She didn't know who this voice belonged to, but they were officially stupid. She wasn't a princess. The only royalty she knew was Vegeta and Trunks, and there was no way she was related to them. Besides, her mom a queen? Get real. Before she could set the confused woman straight, the echoing voice came again.

"**A gggift for my prinnceesss. I have a gggift for Serenityyy from her sssenshi of ffiiiire. My gggift . . .**" the voice trailed off.

'_Okay if she doesn't start making sense soon . . .'_ Usagi gaped when the wall of flames melted into a giant phoenix, a firebird. The animal stood at least six feet tall and had a wingspan at least twice that length. Its feathers were flames and body was made of churning lava. Burning violet eyes locked with her wide blue ones as the creature bowed low. It's delicately curved head cocked to the side as if to listen.

She followed its gaze and found that a small window of the outside restaurant – more specifically a view of her family and friends – appeared in the think wall of fire. With a shrill cry the bird-beast launched though the gaping hole.

Usagi watched Goku push her mother behind him when he realized the phoenix's target. The bird's harsh cry made everyone wince in pain. The Saiyajin female giggled when she noticed a silly human woman collapsing on the marble floor. Humans sure did act strange. The firemen just stood with their jaws brushing the ground, staring.

The creature began to spit fist-sized fireballs in an attempt to at least singe the woman's hair. Chichi screamed hysterically and clutched onto her husband. Unfortunately, Goku's energy shield kept the balls of flame at a safe distance. Usagi stared hard at her mother's terrified face, memorizing it for future comfort. She bit back a giggle. '_I think birds are my new favorite animal.'_ Chichi screamed again when the beast dived. Usagi closed her eyes to savor the sound. '_Oh God, I'm acting just like Veggie.'_ That was a scary thought. She shuddered.

The bird circled around to head back towards the firewall. Usagi jumped when she felt a ghost of a hand rest on her shoulder. The eerie voice whispered clearly next to her ear making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, "**My gift, sweet Serenity –**"

The firewall collapsed as the phoenix crossed through. Still, it approached. Coming closer, looming larger. Suddenly, Usagi had a very bad feeling.

"– **by decree of Mars, god of war, planet of passion and hate **–"

She could see the gold chips in the bird's eyes.

"– **the power of the flame, the beauty of the fire, and all its mysteries are** –"

Usagi swallowed her scream when the creature dived through her. Literally. Her stomach contracted with agonizing pain as the flames branded her insides. Her forehead burst with light, a sensation that made her feel like her head had been split in two with an axe. She crumbled to the ground

"– **yours.**"

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There was absolute silence as everyone stared at the smoking child. Every once in a while one of her body parts would twitch assuring everyone that she was still alive. For some strange reason the fire just went out all of a sudden. It was blazing with life one minute and then it disappeared as if it never was.

"Usagi!" Trunks cried as he raced to her side, Goten on his heels. He'll be damned if he'll let another stupid bird or anything else attack her.

Piccolo watched as the two boys examined their friend. He had not been mistaken. The symbol of Mars had flared brightly upon her brow when the fire raged. '_No. It can't be,'_ he thought with fierce denial. '_No _child, _no _Saiyajin child _could possibly be the chosen one. It's unthinkable; it's the worst irony, the stupidest thing – uh!'_ He couldn't even think straight; it was so impossible.

There was a legend, a myth – apparently a prophecy – that was passed down to every guardian of every planet foretelling the great coming. It speaks of many beautiful kingdoms and awe-inspiring powers. It tells of a princess who became a great warrior and an even greater queen who vanished without a trace. Supposedly, she would be born again; and after collecting the nine powers of her kingdom, she would rule once more. Only this time her empire would know no boundaries, her powers no limits. She would become the guardian of all, the Queen of the Stars, "Cosmos."

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[1] – I hope that this isn't copying, but I used the exact dialogue as this episode in the dubbed version. Most of the dialogue isn't mine up until Goku asks about Usagi. The text, however, is mine. I just wanted to give credit to those who deserve it.

[2] – I know that in the anime that he only had a day back among the living. Because of certain events and artistic license I've lengthened the time to one week. I don't want to confuse anybody.

Here's another long chapter, so be nice and review! This is the first of her senshi's powers that she receives. Don't worry, I don't plan to put you through the torture of reading how she receives all nine of the planetary powers – just only four . . . possibly five. They're spread out over quite a few chapters, so don't fret. I'll try and keep it interesting.

So, what do you think about Goku's lack of self-confidence in being a father?


	7. Cinderella and Chinese food

**Chapter 6**

It was officially put on this planet to irritate every kid ever living. It was a huge conspiracy the government set up so they could test how long it took six-year olds to hang themselves. Yep. Introducing school, the bane of every child who loves the outdoors.

Trunks reached this conclusion as he stared at the pile of thick crayons neatly stacked in front of his paper that had the letter 'T' in big block lettering. Apparently, the idiot teacher thought it would be a brilliant stroke of genius if every student got the first letter of their name to color. He closed his eyes and sighed. '_Heaven save me from stupid people.'_ He glanced at the boy who was currently trying to discover just how many crayons he could stick in every hole on his face. It was just too bad that he didn't know how to count yet.

Usagi glanced at him when she heard the sigh. She bit back a giggle and continued to doodle around the edges of her 'U'. Trunks glanced down to see one purple and two pink blobs – one was really fat – on the top of her paper. She stared at the three sketches for a long moment before quickly scribbling out the fat, pink thing. Trunks sighed. Ever since that incident at the restaurant she had been acting strange.

Usagi fought to keep her breathing normal. Ever since that bird touched her, she had dreamed. Her nightmares were filled with death, fighting, and oddly-colored creatures. She forced her hand to stop shaking. They were just dreams – well, nightmares. They couldn't be real. Nothing bad was going to happen. She gulped. '_I hope._' She looked down at her drawings. '_No little purple man or fat pink creature is going to show up at the World's Martial Arts tournament this weekend. No bad man is going to turn Krillen into stone. And, there will be no mad little cricket – creature running around putting M's on people's foreheads. No, sirree. None whatsoever.'_

Ms. Plumb cleared her throat. "Alright children. Has everyone finished coloring their special letter? Good!" she answered herself. "The fourth grade class has invited all of the first graders to watch their puppet show. Isn't that great? Does anyone here know what a puppet show is?" A crayon fell from someone's mouth and rolled off a table, crickets chirped in the background. "No? Well, you're going to love it! They're going to perform Cinderella! Does anyone know who Cinderella is?"

A skinny kid with tousled red hair frantically waved his hand in the air.

"Yes, John?"

He slurped up the crayon drool trickling down the corner of his mouth. "It's the pretty lady with no feet!"

"Uh . . . Cinderella, supposedly, was very beautiful, and she did lose a slipper. However, I don't recall her ever losing her feet." '_It must be the WWII version,'_ she thought with a shrug. "The classroom is upstairs, so we're going to have to walk very carefully. We don't want anyone to fall down, do we?"

"I do," Trunks mumbled. Usagi giggled.

"Okay children, single file!"

Trunks sighed as they were ushered out of the room. He had expected to stay out of school this week, so he could train for the tournament. Logically, he assumed Usagi would stay home, so she could spend 'quality time' with her 'father'. Chichi had the final say, however, claiming that her daughter needed an education. He was pretty sure she just wanted to dump Usagi somewhere, so she and the boys could dominate Goku's limited time. Trunks wasn't about to leave Usagi alone at school, so here he was.

The fourth grade classroom was filled with desks instead of tables. They were piled to the ceiling in the far left corner to make room on the tiled floor for their class. A badly constructed puppet stand – which consisted of a sheet thrown over a wobbly table topped with a cardboard stage – teetered precariously.

While Trunks sat on the chilled tile floor and propped his back against one of the stacked desks, he noticed the two teachers talking and laughing with each other. '_They must be friends. That's probably the only reason why we're up here,'_ he thought with irritation.

After watching the fifteen or so anxious fourth graders run frantically from behind the stage and back again for about ten minutes, Trunks promptly grew bored. '_Why did we come up here if they aren't even ready?_' The lights finally flickered out. It was dark, since the only window was in the corner of the far wall on the right side of the rectangular room. Despite the cold floor, the room quickly grew comfortably stuffy because of the compacted warm bodies and the recycled breaths.

Usagi curled up on the floor and laid her head in Trunks' lap. She closed her eyes each time his figures stroked through her hair. Trunks looked down at the girl curled against him when his sensitive Saiyajin ears picked up a faint purring sound. '_Usagi, the amazing Cat Girl.'_ He grinned.

A bright spotlight clicked to life from across the room where the fourth grade teacher supervised the student director. The beam of light shakily focused on the poorly painted stage. Trunks closed his eyes and rested his head against the cold metal leg of the desk. Maybe he could grab some sleep. A soft tail loosely clasped around his wrist. He unwrapped his own brown 'belt' and rubbed it against hers. Her furry appendage unfurled from his hand and intertwined with his. Trunks smiled and continued to comb his fingers through her golden locks.

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Minerva Megami sighed as the chilled air of the open refrigerator bathed her face. Her boss – '_Mr. Iiehana,'_ she thought with distain – was the devil-reincarnate. '_Imagine, he wants me to finish all the email listings by the end of today. Ha! That will happen the day I sing "Kung Fu Fighting" butt naked while standing on my head . . . oh wait . . . I've already done that.'_ She sighed. College and vodka don't mix.

Lunch wasn't on her brain when she woke up this morning, so she was searching the teacher lounge refrigerator for anything edible.

'_Eww . . .'_ She was definitely NOT eating a moss-covered orange. '_No . . . no . . . yuck! . . . What is that?'_ "Hmmm." She pulled out a chilled carton of Chinese food and hesitated. Did she really want to chance whatever lay within? It seems she was hungry enough. "Sesame chicken." She poked it with her finger. It didn't give a millimeter. "Stiff sesame chicken," she amended.

She shrugged and popped it into the microwave, thanking her maker for toaster ovens. As she watched the little green numbers tick down, muffled shouts followed by a series of banging noises that sounded suspiciously like a body being slammed against a locker drew her out the lounge door. '_Stupid, undisciplined brats.'_

The green numbers on the microwave continued to count down. It is common knowledge – a law of nature in fact – that microwaves and metal do not mix. The metal handle attached to the forgotten Chinese container was enough to cause the microwave to explode. It's too bad the faculty lounge didn't have a smoke detector.

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Usagi sighed dreamily like most girls do after seeing a happy ending. The badly crafted puppet socks broke from their kiss and bowed to the clapping first graders. She looked at her own prince from her position on his lap and smiled slightly at his incredulous expression.

"You didn't like it?"

He snorted. "What was there to like? The step mother didn't look scary and the prince was a sissy. There wasn't even any blood or guts!" He glared at the students currently dismantling the stage. "This wasn't even worth climbing a flight of stairs."

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Well, I liked it."

He combed his fingers through her hair. "You're a blonde," he excused.

She glared before sitting up and scooting away. Tanned fingers encircled her pale wrist. "Where do you think you're going?"

She tugged her arm, testing his hold. "Away. Suddenly, I feel allergic to lavender-haired people." She made a show of scanning the classroom. "Well, what do you know, you're the only one."

Trunks sighed, "Alright, I'll allow for the remote possibility that the," he hesitated, "show was good."

A small smile tugged the corners of her lips. "Only the remote possibility?"

He glared. "Don't push it."

When she was once again tucked safely away by his side, the sounds of screams and shuffling feet drew his attention to the door on the other side of the room. Ms. Plumb did not need sensitive Saiyajin hearing to notice. Her teacher friend waved her well-manicured hand in dismissal. "The third graders are loud demon children, especially before recess. Next year is going to be one giant headache."

Ms. Plumb looked at her friend with amused sympathy. "Demon children? Are you going to call in a priest to perform exorcism?" she chuckled.

"You're lucky. You get them when they're still scared of leaving their parent's sight, before they are corrupted."

Ms. Plumb glanced pointedly at her two Saiyajin students. "I wouldn't agree entirely."

Trunks and Usagi did not dismiss the screams so easily. There was some frantic quality, a note of fear that misted over the usual screams of play. Usagi clutched his hand for reassurance. "We don't know any third graders, so, maybe, they yell like that."

He concentrated on the mob of mini kis and realized that they were swarming outside.

"Trunks," Usagi's soft voice drew his immediate attention. "Is it hot in here?" He ignored her question while he examined her flushed face and quivering lips with a critical eye. She raised a trembling hand to her brow; when she drew back her fingers were covered with a sparking sheen of perspiration.

He pulled her in his arms when she began to sway precariously from her seated position. Hissing from the unexpected heat of her forehead brushing the side of his neck, he gripped her tighter and called to his teacher. "Stupid woman!" Under different circumstances he would have smiled when she turned. "Usa's got a fever. I'm taking her to the office so we can go home."

Ms. Plumb gritted her teeth. Never had she met a seven-year-old who was so arrogant and demanding. "You forget that I'm the adult and you're the child. And children are always supposed to obey their elders. Don't try to order me around."

He raised a brow. "Who lied and told you that? I do whatever the hell I want, and if you have a problem with that, you can take it up with my father." He laughed as she paled and remained silent. "That's what I thought." He was halfway across the room when a piercing alarm sliced through the comforting quiet of the classroom.

Ms. Plumb's friend frowned thoughtfully. "I wasn't informed we had a fire drill today. Violet, did you know anything?"

The other teacher shook her head. "That's strange. Mr. Iiehana is usually pretty good at sending out emails."

Her friend snapped her fingers. "It must not have gotten through because of all the technical problems last week. Come to think of it, they're probably just testing the alarm to see if it works."

Several tense minutes passed as the teachers anxiously waited for Ms. Megami to reassure them of the false alarm over the intercom. They waited. No message came.

"Suddenly, I've got a really bad feeling," Trunks muttered to himself.

Usagi didn't hear his comment over the loud throbbing pulse in her ears. Tears of sweat streamed steadily down her temples and along her jaw. Flashes of orange flames danced behind her closed eyelids. The flames leapt higher, licking the flimsy ceiling as if they knew she was watching and wanted to impress her.

'_Showoffs,'_ she thought.

Trunks sniffed the air a few times using his extra sensitive nose to identify the strange popping and crackling noises he heard from the first floor. He pulled Usagi closer to his chest and slowly backed away from the door.

"What is it, Trunks?" Ms. Plumb asked with a voice that indicated she didn't really want him to answer.

He did anyway. "I smell smoke." As the last word spilled from his lips ominous, dark clouds began seeping through the cracks of the wooden door. The two teachers paled.

Usagi jerked, sending her sweat-drenched head rolling across Trunks' shoulder. Whispers. She heard tiny whispers cajoling, begging, encouraging her to join them, to hear them, to see them. It sounded as though two choruses of miniature mermaids were perched on her shoulders singing to each other through her head. She heard one twinkling laugh, another pair of voices argued, and yet another wept.

Very slowly, through drenched eyelashes that stubbornly clung to each other, she glanced at both of her shoulders. Nope. No mermaids there. '_Then what's making all of that racket?'_

She became aware that she was still in Trunks' arms, but now they were huddled in a corner with the rest of their class as far from the spreading smoke as possible.

Trunks was nudging Ms. Plumb with his foot. "We have to make for the window!" he shouted, trying to force her attention away from the orange flashes dancing behind the door cracks. His yelling was causing a few of their classmates to tear up.

Sirens burst to life in the distance.

The fourth grade teacher finally realized that no, Ms. Megami was not going to speak over the intercom and yes, she was inside a burning building with thirty children and one coworker. She collapsed onto the floor, sobbing. "We are going to die!" she wailed brokenly as loud as her voice would project. This, of course, immediately caused the other children to start screaming hysterically.

"I don't want to die!" one little girl screamed. The crying grew louder in agreement.

Trunks was fighting the urge to just blast everyone into silence when a loud snap pierced the symphony of crackling flames and rising hysteria. Everyone turned as one to peer through the thick smoke at a jagged crack of the far side of the ceiling. No one dared to breathe. The door finally yielded to the fire's rage and let the jovial flames munch to their heart's content. No one noticed. Everyone's eyes were glued to the crack.

Ms. Plumb jumped when the fracture began slithering toward them in a series of taps and snaps. It looked as though a two-year-old had tried to draw a straight line across the ceiling with a pen between its toes. The mob of students slowly began to edge back towards the wall as if any sudden movements would cause the fire to leap higher and the ceiling to cave.

Trunks gulped and tightened his grip painfully around Usagi. This did not look good. The jagged line began splintering until the whole surface looked like on giant spider web.

"Everyone get down!" Trunks yelled when giant chunks of the roof finally broke off and plummeted toward them with a deafening moan. Usagi clinched her eyes shut and frantically clutched her friend's shoulders. '_At least,'_ she thought placidly, '_Trunks and I'll die together.'_ As the falling chunks crashed into the walls and floor around them causing her sensitive ears to throb, she sighed with relief. '_Dying can't be worse than living.'_

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"What do you mean, we can't see our kids?! I didn't come down here just to look at your ugly face," Vegeta screamed at the policeman he was currently holding a foot off the ground.

"I'm sorry, sir," the pot-bellied man gasped. "But, the children are being treated by the paramedics, and the firefighters need room to put out the fire."

Vegeta gritted his teeth. "That's the stupidest excuse I've ever – uh! If you don't start moving your lazy ass this minute, I'll throw you into that burning building myself!"

A few of the disgruntled parents scooted away from the enraged pineapple-haired man. Bulma sighed, "Vegeta, calm down. You screaming at the policeman is not helping." She turned to the sweat-drenched, gasping officer, "Is there anyway we parents can just see our kids? I think that will help calm everyone down," she asked reasonably.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but – "

Vegeta hauled the man higher, "I know you did not just deny my mate anything," he pulled the hyperventilating man close to his face, "because if you did, I'd have to make you bleed." The man whimpered. "And believe me," the Saiyajin prince whispered, "None of your little friends would get here in time to save you."

The officer began to shiver with terror. He ignored the screaming parents, the blazing horns of the traffic jam, the various prayers from different religions and languages and simply stared into the flat obsidian eyes of the muscled man. He knew without a shred of doubt that the man wouldn't hesitate to rip his head from his shoulders.

Tears welled, "Please," he begged, "Please, I'll do anything. Just don't . . . don't hurt me."

Vegeta sneered, "Tell my woman what she wants to hear."

He looked at the well-dressed teal-haired woman. "Y-Yes, ma'am, I'll look i-into it right a-away."

Bulma smiled. "Why, thank you, officer."

Vegeta dropped the man at his feet and watched with a great deal of satisfaction as the human scurried away, sobbing like a child. "Humph, pathetic."

Bulma wrapped an arm around his waist and smiled. There were certain advantages to belonging to the strongest man on the planet who just happened to be very possessive. "Look! There's Krillen."

The weary principal jogged to the yellow police tape keeping the mob of parents from the school courtyard. "Bulma, Vegeta," he nodded. He was so upset that his speech was limited to short, brief sentences. "We don't know how it happened. The fire's still destroying the school."

"Just blast the damn thing," Vegeta advised through clenched teeth, barely reframing from strangling the stupid human.

"We can't. Kids are still trapped inside."

Bulma blinked. "That's horrible. Has anyone been hurt? What's –"

Krillen held a hand up, "No, no one's died or anything, just a few broken bones, burns, and smoke inhalation. But," he gulped while glancing between the two, "It gets worse."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "How?"

"Trunks and Usagi are trapped in the part of the building where the roof collapsed. The . . . the firemen won't be able to rescue them because no one can get through the flames. The whole area is surrounded! It's like the fire wants to keep us out. I just," he combed his fingers through his soot-caked hair in agitation, "I just don't understand it!"

Bulma swayed. "They're still inside . . . they're . . . they're still . . . inside?"

Vegeta bellowed. "What the hell do you mean they're still inside? What do all these fucking idiots get paid to do?! Stand around with little sprinklers? Get off your lazy asses and save those brats, you ass-smelling, shit-faced bastards!" he screamed at the nearest group of firemen.

"Yeah, what he said!" a fellow parent parroted with a raised fist. The mob of discontented parents swarmed forward with a chorus of angry words and worried tears.

Krillen backed up nervously. "Way to go, Vegeta."

"Hey, now," one fireman raised his hands to calm the crowd. "We're doing the best we can."

"Well, apparently, that's not good enough, is it?" Vegeta bit out.

"Sir, I've been on the squad for fifteen years, and I've never seen a fire do this."

Vegeta slowly counted to ten – see the anger management classes were helping! "I don't care what you have or have not seen. My son is in there, so you better learn real quick!"

Bulma flung herself into her husband's arms. "Vegeta, what if – what if they're – they're . . ." she broke off sobbing.

"Both those brats have Saiyajin blood running through their veins. No pitiful little fire can defeat them!"

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'_Usagi – Usagi,'_ a sweet string of voices painfully drew her towards wakefulness. The floor was hot. Her brow crinkled, '_Tile should be cold.'_ That irrelevant, rational thought jerked her fully from her foggy, half dream state and into the real world.

The first thing she noticed was the tiny blackened pebbles of concrete lining the floor. As she lay staring, trying to regain her bearings, she thought about how something as strong as concrete and steel could be utterly destroyed by fire, something with no solid form and was relatively harmless in small doses.

The air was thicker, settling around her like a blanket, and fighting from being drawn into her lungs and giving her life. The room was darker too, as though night had fallen, with only a warm, steady flickering from a distance to light her vision. She felt heavy, being pressed into the toasty tile by some unseen force behind her.

A strand of lavender fell across her live of sight. Usagi blinked. '_Wait. I don't have purple hair.'_ She glanced behind her and saw that Trunks was lying half on top of her, his face pressed into her shoulder, sleeping. From the corner of her eye she saw a red gash above his brow and panicked.

"Trunks!" she attempted to shout, only a soft wheeze followed closely by a cough escaped from her lips. Her throat felt coarse, scratchy. She quickly swallowed a few times and tried again. "Trunks!"

He didn't respond.

Frantically, she struggled, fighting pain and fatigue to simply pull herself from under him and sit up. With trembling fingers, she freed some of his hair from the sticky red mess on his forehead.

"Don't leave me, Trunks. Don't die . . . please." Tears streamed down her cheeks as she quickly tore a strip from her dress and gently blotted the excess blood from the edges of the gash. There was so much blood. Everywhere.

Glancing to the side, she spotted a medium-sized chunk of the roof with a bloody tip lying next to her friend. With unchecked fury, she hurled the heated rock across the room and watched it crumble against the wall. She glared at the tiny remains when she felt no satisfaction rise to comfort her after her illogical act of revenge. Hurting inanimate objects never helped anyone.

A soft sound brought her from her murderous thoughts and drew her attention to the room around her. It seemed a huge slab of the ceiling above this corner of the classroom remained intact when it collapsed. It fell and, thankfully, sheltered them from the approaching fire by propping up against the walls of the corner. While this temporarily saved their lives, they were now trapped, waiting for the roaring fire to eat away at the concrete obstacle that lay in its path.

Usagi dragged her gaze from the flickering light glimpsed though the tiny cracks of the giant slab and looked around the cell – for that's what the classroom had become. The group of thirty students and two teachers were imprisoned in a tiny corner without even a window for comfort. Usagi gave this prison a name. Purgatory. She glanced at the firelight shining through the cracks. Purgatory, with Hell anxiously waiting a mere breath away.

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I know, I'm evil. Review and tell me what you think of this new little twist. Thanks for all of the reviews last chapter! Most of the questions you asked will be addressed later, so be patient and all will be revealed. If you haven't noticed, I'm side-stepping the issue of the abuse in the Son household. It might be a while for you to find out exactly _why_, but you will find out. Review please.


	8. In Fate's Hands

**Chapter 7**

She and Trunks weren't the only children on the floor. A quick glance took in the carpet of little bodies scattered across the glowing tiled floor. Luckily, everyone seemed to be intact. Usagi's fists clinched. Everyone but Trunks.

"Wake up. Please, Trunks . . ."

Tears dripped down her jaw.

"You're not supposed to die – not now, not ever. Princes don't die . . ."

He remained motionless.

"Briefs Trunks! You are the Prince of all Saiyajins, don't you dare let a stupid rock kill you!"

She held her breath when he frowned and shifted slightly.

Leaning down, she whispered softly in his ear. "Please, Trunks. I need you. Please, come back to me."

He coughed raggedly; his eyes fluttered. "Usagi?"

She grinned and looked into his dazed ice blue eyes with relief. "Don't scare me like that ever again. Do you hear me?"

He grinned weakly when he noticed that she was stroking his hair while crying. An evil idea popped into his head, and he was never one to let an opportunity pass.

"I don't feel so good." He flinched and let his eyes become unfocused. "Please, Usagi. Tell me one thing before I die . . ." His breathing became more labored. "Do you think I'm cute?"

Usagi blinked in confusion. "What?"

He closed his eyes and groaned dramatically, turning his head away from her to hide his grin. "Everything is getting dark. Quick, Usa, tell me."

Usagi clutched at him frantically. "Trunks?" she asked hesitantly, her voice trembling.

He grew still and gazed off into the distance. "I see a white light . . . Usa, please, answer me before it's . . . too late . . ." When she refused to speak, he called softly, "Grandpa? Grandpa, is that you?"

"Yes!" Usagi cried.

"You're my grandpa?"

Usagi clutched at his shirt. "Yes, I think you're cute!"

Trunks' eyes flickered to her panicked face. "Just . . . cute?"

She threw her hands into the air. "No, you're gorgeous, the hottest boy who ever lived!"

In an instant, the theatrics disappeared leaving a smirking Trunks to fold his hands behind his head. "It's so nice of you to finally admit it."

Usagi blinked and stared at her best friend through a watery haze of tears. "Trunks, you big fake!" She smacked him in the arm. "I thought you were dying." He chuckled. "Don't ever do that to me again!"

"Aww, Usa . . ."

She crossed her arms and scooted away from him. "That wasn't funny, Trunks."

His chuckle quickly turned into a hiss as he attempted to sit up. When he reached up to ease the throbbing of his head, his hand came away coated in blood.

"Here," Usagi scooted closer to him and wrapped her dress-strip around his head. It immediately became saturated with blood. Trunks shook his head, but quickly stopped when his vision swam and dots danced before his eyes.

"You have to fold it like this." With practiced hands he tore off another strip from her dress – grinning at her indignant cry – and wrapped it around his head, leaving her the task of tying the two ends together.

She smiled down at him softly. "For once, I'm patching you up."

He rested his face against her shoulder and inhaled the thick air while trying to sort out everything. "We're not dead . . . My head hurts too much for me to be dead," he mumbled into her neck.

Usagi stroked his back and held him. "No, we're not dead," she affirmed.

A strangled sob followed by a muffled whimper broke their private moment. They slowly made their way to their waking classmate who had her arm buried beneath a pile of rubble. A few more broken sounds of battered children slowly waking greeted them. With a sigh, the two demi-Saiyajins got to work utilizing their first aid skills gleaned from after sparring matches and severe beatings.

A few hours after Bulma and Vegeta received the bad news, the Sons finally arrived.

"Kakarot! What the hell took you so long?" Vegeta started as soon as Goku's feet touched the ground.

The other Saiyajin grinned sheepishly as his wife climbed out of his arms. "Well, Chichi didn't want to go so fast and it was a long flight."

Vegeta gritted his teeth when he noticed his rival's carefree expression. "Didn't it occur to you, baka, that your daughter – the only female Saiyajin, your own flesh and blood – could have died while you admired the scenery on the flight down here?"

The aggravated prince nodded in satisfaction when Goku's carefree expression was quickly replaced with a stricken one. His mood quickly soured, however, when Chichi simply shrugged and began smoothing down her hair. "I hardly think a little fire is worth ruining my hair over."

Vegeta noticed Gohan's worried expression quickly morphed into indifference after his mother's comment. He always was a mama's boy. Goten seemed to be the only one who interpreted Bulma's tear-streaked face and Vegeta's furious expression. The boy looked around frantically. "Where's Usa and Trunks?" He moved closer to his father, unconsciously seeking comfort.

Bulma took a trembling breath and explained about the bizarre fire and the trapped kids.

"Oh, you poor dear. That's horrible," Chichi exclaimed, surprising Vegeta with her genuine concern. The black-haired woman embraced Bulma. "Don't worry. I'm sure Trunks is just fine."

Gohan perked up when he heard that the firefighters couldn't reach the children. "Do you guys remember the time I saved those people from the burning building? I'll just go grab another water tower and drench the fire. This is a job for the Great Saiyaman!" he cried referring to his alternate ego with a grin, anticipating saving the day once again.

Vegeta growled in annoyance. "Don't you think we haven't already considered that, baka? We'll end up drowning the brats."

Gohan glared at the prince for ruining his moment.

"I can't get a reading on them," Goku exclaimed in desperation. That meant he couldn't tell if they were still alive, and if they were, he couldn't teleport them to safety.

Chichi snorted, "Well, knowing those two, they probably ran off so that you would worry. You know how kids think. I wouldn't be surprised if they actually started the fire."

Vegeta roughly pulled his mate away from the other woman. "The brats wouldn't do something like that."

She rolled her eyes and mumbled. "What does a monkey know?"

Vegeta growled in warning, but instead of attacking the little human like he wanted, he decided to ease his rival's agitation. "It's the strange fire that's blocking their ki," the older man explained. "It almost seems to have a life of its own. The pitiful humans tried dressing in fireproof suits and charging in, but the suits melted."

Bulma pulled herself together. "Those suits are built to withstand 6,000 degrees. This is no ordinary fire guys – at least not one that could be started by accident in a school."

Goku frowned. "So this means . . . ?"

Vegeta sighed. "We wait. There's nothing we can do; Saiyajins aren't fireproof."

Goten's pale face looked up at each adult's resigned face anxiously before turning his stricken gaze to the fire that might be devouring the bodies of his sister and his best friend at that very moment. "No! Usagi! Trunks!"

Goku caught his hysterical son in midair. "No! Let me go. I don't want them to leave without me! Let me go!" Goku clutched his sobbing son to his chest and rocked. "Usagi . . . Trunks . . . take me with you . . . "

I know it's kind of short, but I've had other chapters that were really long so it all kind of balances out. Besides that was the perfect place to stop. Please REVIEW! Even if it's to tell me that I need to make my chapters longer. Any feedback is good feedback. I'm writing this for all of you, so it would be nice to know what you think.


	9. The Plan

**Chapter 9**

Trunks gritted his teeth, wincing at the woman's screams, while slowly pulling harder and pressing down. Who knew that someone could reach that high of a note? The fourth-grade teacher – he still didn't know her name – mercifully succumbed to the pain and slumped into unconsciousness leaving his ears to ring for minutes afterward. Usagi bit her lip but didn't comment.

"There!" she cried, suddenly feeling the broken leg move into place. Usagi quickly wrapped two wooden splints – school desks were good for many things – on either side of the woman's leg. This would hold the bone in place until they escaped and she could get a cast.

Trunks sat back and wiped his brow, leaving a streak of red across the sweat-soaked bandage. He and Usagi had finally finished patching up everyone. Now, they could concentrate on getting out of there alive. He glanced around for Ms. Plumb and sighed when he found her huddled in a corner – face pale, eyes wide and staring blankly at their concrete prison. She would definitely not be of much help. '_Grownups,'_ he thought sadly, '_They're so fragile.'_

"Ummm...Trunks?" Usagi's confused voice drew his attention. He stared for a moment looking through a sea of sobbing children at his best friend. A few hysterical first-graders and even a couple of fourth-graders were clutching at her, hugging her in desperation.

"I want my mommy!" one boy wailed before burying his wet face into her shoulder. A few children hiccupped their agreement. Usagi awkwardly stroked her peer's head while looking at Trunks in confusion. He shrugged. What could he say? Humans were weird.

Since Ms. Plumb remained in mental shock, the terrified children looked for a new source of motherly comfort. Usagi being the only girl who wasn't sobbing uncontrollably and was taking charge of the bandaging and rescuing became the new lead female.

Trunks looked from the unconscious teacher at his feet to the woman rocking herself in the corner and sighed. He was a born leader of men, and it was time that he started acting like it. "Everyone shut the hell up!" he demanded. The constant wailing was giving him a migraine.

Silence descended as everyone, including Ms. Plumb, turned to the lavender-haired child. "Look, we have to figure out a way to get out of here, and the only way to do that is to stop crying and start thinking. You have to be the loudest group of babies I've ever heard!" he scoffed. "Just calm down, alright? Usagi and I'll figure out something."

The mob of kids nodded slowly and wiped at their faces, sniffling and hiccupping all the while. A few of the older boys flushed in embarrassment at being called a baby by a first-grader.

Usagi carefully detangled herself from the circle of limbs and made her way to her friend's side. "Nice speech, oh great leader." He snorted. She looked at the huddling group and sighed. "So, what now?"

"Now," he studied the concrete slab, "it's our turn to save the day."

'_**Uuussssaaaaaagiii,**'_ her head snapped around.

"What?" Trunks asked.

"Do you hear that?" Usagi whispered.

'_**Prrinncessss....**'_

"There it is again!"

Trunks tilted his head to the side and strained his Saiyajin hearing to the limits. A table on the first floor crashed to the floor, two mice screamed in their hole in the cafeteria, flames smacked with delight as they feasted. After a long moment he shook his head.

Usagi looked around and noticed that when her gaze slid across the glowing cracks in the slab they flared brighter at her attention. '_**Yeessss, prrinnccessss...**'_

She took a few uncertain steps closer. '_**Ccccoommmmeee to uussss...**'_ She drew closer to the glowing crevices. '_**Heeearrrr uusss...**'_ Her head cocked to the side. '**_Beccommmee one with uussss....'_** As if in a trance, her hand slowly reached out. A small arm of flame seeped through the crack and stretched out to meet her half way, eager for her touch.

"Usagi!" Trunks grabbed her by the waist and bodily dragged her away from the straining flames. The churning fire blazed brightly and whipped violently in rage before slowly sinking back through the glowing crevices.

"What were you thinking?! You're not to go near those cracks again. Do you hear me? Usagi!"

Her eyes blinked as her mind struggled to cope with the receding angry voices and Trunks' yelling. "W-Wha?"

Trunks hugged her close to him, ignoring the throbbing of his head, the sniffing kids, and the crackling fire. After a silent moment and a few deep breaths, he whispered. "Please. Just listen to me, alright? I don't want what happened at the restaurant to happen again. I just . . . Please Usa . . ." He mentally shuddered at the memory. Her smoking body twitching was not something he cared to remember.

Usagi clutched at him and nodded, letting his desperate voice calm her thoughts and the mermaids in her head.

"Alright Trunks." She stared at the concrete for a long moment and sighed. "Alright. I think it's time to get out of here."

He squeezed her tighter before letting her slip from his arms. They thought together for a long moment before throwing out ideas for consideration. "We could punch through the floor and pick our way to the outside?" Trunks offered. "Heat rises so maybe the fire left most of the bottom floor intact."

Usagi shook her head. "Feel the floor tiles; they're too hot. The heat from the fire below us is rising to slowly cook our butts."

He felt before sighing his agreement. After careful scrutiny of their cell he offered his next idea. "I could punch through the wall and to the outside."

"Then the rest of the ceiling would come crashing down."

He thought for a moment. "I could use a ki blast and make a neater hole?"

She shook her head. "It's still too risky. Besides, what if someone's standing below us? We don't want to bury anyone under a pile of bricks."

Trunks grinned. "Sure we do! It's called sacrificing for the greater good. What's one life verses thirty-two?"

She just stared.

"Okay, okay. Sheesh. Stop. That's really creepy."

She winked. They sat for a long moment thinking. Usagi wondered how a day as good as this turned out so bad. '_First, the dreams. But the puppet show made up for that . . .'_ Her thoughts turned to the little production. '_It was so dark . . .'_

Usagi jerked up, eyes wide. "I know!"

Trunks raised an eyebrow, almost scared to ask.

"The window."

He sighed. "Just in case you forgot, it's out there, and we're in here."

She ignored his sarcasm and studied the slab. "You could lift that, no problem. Then we just get the class to the other side of the room, pop the glass, and tada!"

"We're on the second floor. Most of the human's wouldn't survive the jump in one piece," Trunks objected, playing devil's advocate.

"You'll have to carry them and float them down; I'm not strong enough," Usagi countered excitedly.

"You forgot one little, tinsy winsy thing, Usa-baby," Trunks drawled out and grinned after her outraged gasp concerning her new nickname, "The fire."

"Just lift the slab high enough for me to slip under. I've got a plan."

He looked at her for a moment. "What plan?"

She grinned and leaned closer to him. "Trust me, Trunksypoo."

He winced at the name. Payback was a bitch.

"Everyone shut up and listen!" Trunks shouted gaining immediate silence and undivided attention. There were certain advantages to being leader. "Usagi and I have a plan. We will only have one chance to escape, so pay attention so we can get it right!" He felt like he was in a bad prison movie.

Usagi watched hope blossom in everyone's eyes at his words. Until then, everyone had been huddling together in little groups for comfort, waiting and worrying, wishing and praying.

"We are going to pair up, so everyone grab a partner. Anyone who can't walk, is limping, or is dizzy when they stand needs to pair with an uninjured person; I don't want any stragglers. Everyone is going to stay together, no matter what. Understood?" Trunks barked out in his meanest, dad-like voice.

Although a few of the first-graders didn't know what a straggler was they quickly nodded along with the older children.

"Well? We don't have all day, brats. Move!" Those that could quickly scrambled to their feet and began looking around.

Trunks scanned the crowd. "You, you, and you," he pointed out the three biggest fourth-graders. "You will help carry the unconscious ones." They nodded and quickly found a first-grade "Buddy".

"What about our teacher?" one older girl asked.

Trunks blinked blankly and turned to stare at the woman's limp body. The human children's carrying her was completely out of the question. He sighed and shrugged. "I guess I'll have to take her."

The older girl looked him from head to toe doubtfully. "That's supposed to be a joke, right?"

Usagi stepped forward and frowned at the girl. "What are you talking about? Trunks can do anything."

The boy in question looked at his best friend and raised an eyebrow. "Anything?"

She looked him right in the eyes and said with complete seriousness, "Anything."

He felt humbled by her faith in him. He grinned at the other girl looking on in confusion. "You heard her. Of course I can do anything," he said at his cocky best. "Just call me Super Boy." The girl nodded slowly and quickly joined a group of her classmates not wanting to challenge the leading couple.

Trunks looked around at the two classes and nodded in satisfaction when he found them paired, ready, and eager to leave. Usagi quietly slipped away from his side and made her way to the terrified teacher who was humming under her breath and hugging herself for comfort. Usagi openly stared at the broken woman – it was okay to look because the lady was too out of it to notice and punish her for it – and wondered how she had ever been afraid of such a creature. Indecision warred inside of her as her mother's training – dictating that she shouldn't speak to an adult without first being addressed – and her instinctive need to help people battled for dominance. When the sound of a girl bursting into tears echoed across the close confines of the enclosed space, the internal war was won.

"Ms. Plumb?"

The woman ignored her and continued to stare blankly ahead.

"Violet?" Usagi ventured, wincing as she broke another of her mother's rules about addressing an adult by his or her first name. She recalled Krillen's slip up earlier and wondered if the sound of her first name would jar her from her reverie.

Nothing changed.

Usagi did everything she could think of to get the woman's attention and still nothing worked. If the teacher didn't snap out of it then she wouldn't know what to do when they made their escape, and she might be left behind and die. Usagi hesitated when an absurd idea popped into her head. She knew one way that would surely get her attention. Pain.

Shaking her head, Usagi immediately rejected the idea. She refused to turn into her mother. Her Saiyajin hearing picked up a conversation across the room. The three big fourth-graders Trunks had singled out earlier were reporting.

"There are not enough okay kids to help the hurt ones. We're going to have to make two trips or something."

Usagi regarded the huddled woman stoically. '_Or she could snap out of it and carry at least two kids.'_ Her mouth flattened. '_Why do adults always ignore their responsibilities? She's supposed to be taking care of us, but she's only thinking about how she feels and what's going to happen to her. What about the rest of us?!'_

The injustice of the situation boiled over and allowed her to take that final step without hesitation. She reached high and slapped the woman soundly, sending her toppling to the floor. The whole room froze when they heard the sharp crack. Trunks' mouth dropped. This was his shy Usa?

Ms. Plumb blinked in shock as the heat of the floor seeped through her clothes and painfully jarred her senses awake. Her shaking hand hesitantly rose to cradle her throbbing cheek as she stared at the furious six-year-old.

"Wake up and stop being selfish!"

A few of the younger kids blinked in confusion, while the older ones' attention remained absolute.

Usagi continued, oblivious to the audience. "Do you think you're the only one who matters? Look around. If you haven't noticed, there are a bunch of scarred, hurt kids here who need a little of your valuable time and a lot of comfort. So do your job, be an adult and help damn it!"

Ms. Plumb gaped at the normally quiet girl in shock. She slowly gazed out at the sea of scraped, soot-faced children for a long moment before water began gathering in her eyes. "Y-You're right. I-I-"she flushed and stuttered with shame, turning to the stone-faced child regarding her doubtfully.

"Stop. We don't need your tears right now." Ms. Plumb nodded numbly and quickly wiped her face. Usagi studied the shaken woman and allowed her demeanor to soften. In a gentle voice she instructed the teacher, "There are a few kids who will need to be carried out of here and to safety. Trunks will tell you what to do."

Ms. Plumb looked around seeing their predicament with a clear mind for the first time. She quickly grew panicked. "It's hopeless. How are we going to – "

"– We already thought of a plan," Usagi interrupted. Ms. Plumb visibly calmed at the child's confident, even tone. "Trunks will tell you what you need to do," she gently reminded.

Ms Plumb looked at her student with hope before quickly climbing to her feet and scurrying over to her most rebellious student for instructions, wanting to leave as soon as possible. She didn't demand to know what the children had planned. She wasn't up to playing leader.

Usagi glanced around at the awed crowd but stopped when she noticed the floored expression of her best friend. He raised an eyebrow as if to say 'What was that?'

She shrugged.

Trunks stared at her from across the room in wonder. '_So this is the Usagi underneath.'_ He looked her over as if for the first time and smiled.

Usagi smiled when he started grinning like a maniac.

"Way to go, Usa. Woo woo," he whispered, doing a little train motion before turning to address Ms. Plumb. Her Saiyajin hearing picked up his quiet words even though the room and thirty kids separated them. She rolled her eyes. Inside she was nearly bubbling over with happiness. He was proud of her. She smiled to herself. '_I'm proud of me.'_

"Okay Usa. Are you ready?" Trunks asked.

Usagi nodded while kneeling before the concrete slab. This was it. The voices in the corner of her mind were whispering quietly, not wanting to distract her, waiting for her to join them. She took deep breaths and recalled the woman – what did she call herself? – the senshi of fire at the restaurant a few days ago. She kept replaying the way the flames seemed to be attracted to her. Apparently it was the same with this fire; she eyed the glowing cracks warily.

Her plan was to run as fast as her Saiyajin legs could carry her – her goal was to make it out of the classroom – and, hopefully, the fire would follow her leaving the class a clear path to the window. If not, well, she'd be one roasted chick. The only problem was that she hadn't really thought about how she would get outside before the fire caught up to her, but Trunks didn't need to know that.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing? You're not going to get hurt or anything, right?" he asked, not wanting her away from his side but bowing to necessity.

He knew her so well. Usagi smiled up innocently. "I've got it all under control." '_Besides,'_ she thought. _'What's a white lie or two between friends?'_

He studied her upturned face for a long moment. Something didn't seem right. Sniffing from behind reminded him that they were wasting time.

"Okay." Somehow he knew that he was going to regret agreeing with her on this one. He found a few finger holds at the base of the slab and shifted his feet for better balance.

"Don't tell me you're planning to lift that. It must weigh at least a ton," Ms. Plumb commented incredulously, and began to doubt the wisdom of following a plan two first-graders thought up.

Trunks grinned. "Just watch me." With a deep breath, his muscles bulged, stretched and steadily, carefully the slab began to rise. Small pieces of the ceiling which had remarkably clung together during the initial collapse began raining down on the group like dusty hail.

Usagi kept a close watch on the growing opening – gulping as the black smoke, orange flames, and sulfuric smell poured into their prison. The paired children whimpered and began backing away. As soon as the opening was wide enough, Usagi slipped under and out of sight. '_Into the fires of Hell I go.'_ She disappeared into the billowing smoke.

I know that I haven't updated in a long while. Sorry. I can't really say that I blame you for being mad, but I can't promise that the updates will be coming any faster. This semester I have my two AP classes a.k.a. the really, really hard ones. I'll have a lot more time to write next semester, because it will be my last semester of High School and I probably won't care if I make good grades or not. I know you might not think that I have no time, but between the projects and the 5 hours of homework – no joke FIVE hours – every night, it's kind of hard to squeeze in.

Sorry to everyone who has waited for this for so long, but it's going to be a little while for the next one. Stick with me here. As much as I hate it, school always has to come first.

Katlin


	10. The Escape

**Chapter 10**

"It just doesn't make sense," the grey-haired man commented in a defeated voice.

"You're the expert with twenty years experience. You're supposed to know everything about fires. It's your job. That's what you get paid to do, so don't sit there and tell me you don't know how to stop it because that's not an answer!"

The grey-haired man stood, towering over the police chief by about four solid inches, and looked him dead in the eyes. "Fine, lieutenant, I'll stand up to repeat myself. I don't have a. Damn. Clue."

The shorter man clinched his fists. "There are kids trapped in there! Now isn't the time to –"

"Bring a ladder! We've got survivors!" A shout interrupted the heated argument and sparked the public officials into a tizzy. The two men shared a look before sprinting towards the chaos.

* * *

Trunks looked at the scurrying humans from out the smoke-fogged window. One well-placed kick later, a crumpling hole replaced the useless window. '_Cheap school,'_ he thought with distain. Usagi had disappeared and taken the mass of flames with her. Apparently, her plan – whatever it was – had succeeded. Something told him that this wasn't exactly a good thing.

"Stay where you are," a megaphone-enhanced voice intruded his train of thought. He gritted his teeth in annoyance, half expecting a "Put your hands in the air" to come next. '_What do they think we are? Crooks?'_

The voice continued without answering his mental questions. "A ladder is being sent up. The firemen will carry you to safety. Again, stay where you are."

A faint tug at the back of his shirt brought his attention to the waiting children huddled behind him. "What do we do now?" a fourth-grade boy asked hesitantly.

Even with a crowd of adults bustling about below shouting instructions, they turned to the undeclared leader for guidance. Trunks wasted all of two seconds to decide on a course of action.

"I'm not going to wait for those idiots to take there sweet time setting up their little machine. There's no telling how long this school can hold intact. We go now."

Everyone nodded in agreement and shifted closer, waiting for their instructions. It wasn't long in coming. "The stronger partner in each pair will carry the other one –"

" – but," one girl interrupted.

He glared her into silence and continued, "Piggy-back style."

Everyone relaxed a little. Some even became excited at the thought of playing a game during their escape from the school.

Trunks continued. "The weak ones have only one job," he paused making sure everyone's attention was absolute. There had to be no mistakes. "Hold on to their partner at all costs. The strong ones will need to hold on to the rope no matter what," he stated their jobs as simply as he could so everyone would understand. "Any questions?" he asked just to make sure everything was crystal clear.

"Umm . . ." the older girl from before began tentatively. "What rope?"

Everyone's gaze swung back to the lavender-haired boy, waiting for an answer. Trunks smirked. "The one we're going to make."

They blinked.

* * *

"Something's up," Krillen stated the obvious while watching the emergency crews spring to life.

"Ya' think?" Vegeta snapped. "I'm so glad you cleared that up. Jeez, and I was wondering why we've been standing here staring at the incompetent humans for the past ten minutes!" sarcasm dripped from each word. "Next time you feel the urge to open your mouth to impart your _invaluable_ wisdom, don't. It'll save me one hell of a headache and get rid of this little desire my hands have to wrap themselves around your scrawny little neck and _squeeze._"

Krillen paled so fast that Gohan thought he might pass out.

Bulma sighed and rubbed her aching temples. Apparently, Vegeta was handling the situation with his usual grace and eternal patience. She snorted.

"Vegeta," she addressed her husband while placing a comforting hand on his tense arm. "Chill."

He growled in answer while relaxing minutely under her touch. She slowly stroked his spandex-clad arm reassuringly. She really couldn't blame him for worrying.

"Wow Vegeta," Goku's bubbly comment broke the Saiyajin prince from his murderous thoughts. "It's nice to see that you haven't changed after all these years. You don't know how much I've missed your little tantrums," the man grinned.

Vegeta's face became a deep shade of red. "Tantrums?" His hands clinched repeatedly. "Tantrums?!"

Bulma shot her ditzy friend a death glare. Goku may be super strong and a genius at battle strategies, but sometimes he didn't know when to shut his mouth and enjoy a little peace and quiet.

Vegeta took a few calming breaths. "Kakarot, have you forgotten that our brats are trapped in a burning school, possibly dead or dying as we speak?"

Goku tilted his head to the side. "How could I forget? I'm standing in front of the school." He looked around the assembled group. "Right?" he asked just to make sure they hadn't lied and he was really standing in front of some other building. "I'm not dreaming, right?"

Vegeta threw his hands into the air and stalked away, only to march back a second later. "You are the stupidest –"

Bulma reclaimed his arm and interrupted his ranting with her calm answers. "Yes, Goku, you are in front of the school; and no, you are not dreaming."

He scratched his head in confusion. "Are you sure?"

Vegeta reached out with lightning speed, grabbed a hunk of skin on his rival's forearm, and twisted viciously, grinning slightly as he savored the started yelp from the other man.

"Y-You pinched me!" Goku cried as he massaged his aching flesh.

The prince grinned and nearly cackled with glee. "I guess you aren't dreaming after all."

Goku studied his friend a long doubt-filled moment. "Thanks, I guess," he mumbled.

"Look!" Goten shouted and leaped from his brother's arms to point. Everyone turned.

"What the hell?" a parent commented from behind them. Apparently Vegeta's language was influencing the crowd of disgruntled parents. In silence, they all watched a purple-haired boy with a limp body slung over one shoulder clutching the chain of knotted shirts which supported the weight of twenty-nine children and one teacher with both hands, slowly float – that's right float – to the ground from the second story opening.

"Trunks!" Goten exclaimed fighting back tears of relief.

* * *

As soon as the children touched ground, an army of masked men surged forward and scooped them up, quickly taking them away from the building and to the nearest paramedic. The parents cheered. One clueless firefighter grabbed Trunks's arm and tried to pull him away. The little prince jerked free and growled until the human hastily backed away. He gazed up at the school and waited, ignoring the sinking sensation in his stomach. '_Where is she?'_

One minute passed.

"Look, sport, you have to come with me, okay? The doctors need to heal all of your boo-boos. Then, you can see your parents. Wouldn't that be fun? Come on," the man continued to cajole unsuccessfully.

Trunks's patience – already worn away during the escape – finally snapped at the sound of the slow, simplified speech most adults adopt when addressing children.

"Damn it, Usa." He took a running leap toward the second story "window" he had escaped from a few minutes earlier, ignoring the startled yelp from the firefighter below. He landed running, racing across the room with Super Saiyajin speed with only two goals in mind. Find and Escape.

The hallway beyond the classroom was littered with huge chunks of concrete and tiny bits of brick from the walls. No Usa. Trunks hesitated in the doorway undecided. '_Which way did she go?'_ He realized earlier when the flames reached through the slab cracks that the fire was unnatural, which interfered with his ki powers. So, he couldn't sense where his friend was.

Trunks gulped and looked first one way and then the other. If he were a weak human he might admit to being scared of the helplessness churning deep in his gut. Taking a deep breath, ignoring the sharp stench of burning wood and scorched steel, he centered himself. When all else fails, fall back on the other senses his Saiyajin heritage provided.

Eyes closed, making the hallway disappear. He floated in darkness and waited, silently willing the sounds around him to enhance. The people outside shouted, feet stomped, echoing through the air. Tiny clinks to his left – pieces of the second floor falling to join the ruin of the first.

There! The crackle of flame. He darted right. Just as he reached the peak of his speed, he skidded to a stop at the top of the stairs his class had climbed earlier that day. His eyes widened and mouth dropped at the sight of his best friend encased in a column of fire.

She appeared to be asleep or unconscious as she floated a few feet off the ground. '_Like she's underwater,'_ he thought when he noticed that her considerable amount of hair moved with the current of the fire, some strands wrapping around her relaxed form while others stretched up and out. As he drew closer, slowly stepping around the fallen debris without taking his eyes from his target, he noticed how serene her slackened face looked under the soft red glow of the symbol on her forehead. '_Almost like – like . . .'_ Trunks paled and viciously jerked his head in denial.

"You're not dead, Usa," he stated aloud in a hollow voice as if simply stating his desire would make it true. "I won't let you be dead."

At the sound of his voice the flames seemed to pause before leaping higher. Down the stairs he stepped. A mass of flames swirled together, as if directed by some outside force. A face appeared in the flames and hissed at him. Trunks blinked. '_What the f –'_

"Leave us!" a voice breathed.

Trunks saw the face open and close its mouth so he assumed that it was the one speaking. The mind of a child is less restrained when it comes to confronting the impossible. As a mind grows older it is constantly being taught facts which dictate what is real and acceptable and what couldn't possibly happen. While adults deal in facts and evidence, children constantly retreat into their imaginations where anything can happen for any reason. Trunks stared at the beam of fire imprisoning his best friend and calmly accepted that it spoke. He didn't run screaming into the night and didn't start questioning his sanity. That was progress, right?

"Give me Usagi!" he shouted back. There was no way he was leaving without her.

The face disappeared only to have another one take its place. "She belongs to us now," a feminine voice announced. With growing surprise he watched as hundreds of flame faces appeared and began to swim around the small girl. Laughing. They were laughing at him.

"Fuck it."

His lavender hair burst with golden light and hardened into spikes. The puny child muscles in his arms and legs bulged as massive amounts of ki pumped through them, putting all body-altering steroids to shame. Slowly, the chilling ice of his eyes bled stoic green as the last of the Super Saiyajin power – his birthright – was wrenched from its sleeping place deep within his soul. He was pissed.

Before the faces could react, he reached through the wall of flame, ignoring the immediate stench of burning flesh and pushed the pain to the back of his mind like his father taught him, grabbed Usagi's lifeless arm, and pulled her free. Just as the last strands of her golden hair passed through the outer flames unharmed he whispered to the shocked expressions, "She belongs to me."

As they screamed in rage the flames burst with new life with each passing moment. Trunks gripped Usagi to his chest, powered up, and flew as fast as he could to the classroom and the window. He ignored the flames forming at the edges of his vision and the intense sweltering heat at his back. The fire, no longer contained by Usagi's presence surged forward in a desperate attempt to reclaim what it had lost.

In a rolling leap, Trunks burst through the opening and into the clear air, crash-landing with Usagi tightly clutched with his unblistered arm. Emergency crews and men with hoses marched forward fighting the thrashing flames with high pressured water. The resulting sound made him smile. "Snap, crackle, and pop you bastards."

A small movement accompanied by a faint whimper brought his attention to the watching girl in his lap. The fire had burned away her clothes but left her skin unblistered if slightly warm to the touch.

"Trunks?" She cracked open her eyes and saw the blob of lavender which slowly became strands of hair as her eyes focused. "Wha –?"

"Shhh . . ." he breathed and reached up to brush a few stray hairs away from her face only to stop mid-motion and stare at his mangled forearm. Where there was once smooth, tan skin lay patches of bright red blisters and beyond that the chilling white of scorched tissue. The first-degree burns looked the worst but since the nerve endings had been eaten away, he couldn't feel a thing. The throbbing blisters were what had him gasping in pain.

Usagi followed his glazed gaze and gasped. "You're hurt. Why did you –" Her watery eyes searched his face, taking in the pale lines of pain tracing his mouth and the light sheen of sweat dotting his forehead.

He chuckled brokenly. "C-Couldn't leave you."

Tears trickled down her face.

As she stared into his eyes she realized that he would do anything for her, would risk his life to save hers. She realized that she would do the same for him. As her mind reeled from this epiphany something clicked inside her. She suddenly felt light and warm, as though the sun had turned silver and engulfed her in pure light.

Slowly, she turned to his charred, smoking arm and felt nothing but absolute calm. "Let me help you."

She traced her fingers over his clothed shoulder and down his smooth biceps, slowly making her way to his wounds. Trunks shivered and stared not at her descending hand, but at the glowing crescent moon on her forehead.

"Let me heal you," she whispered as her fingertips began to glow. . .

Trunks blinked awake when she suddenly slumped against him in exhaustion. Shouts brought his head up. Several men and women in white clothes with red crosses were rushing toward them. Trunk slowly stroked the back of Usagi's head as he flexed each finger of his injured hand. Turning his arm over and over he frowned and looked down at the girl in his arms.

There wasn't a mark on him.

* * *

Well, here's the next chappy. I hope that you enjoyed it. Tell me what you think! The next chapter will probably come during Christmas Break, so be patient until then! Okay, I'll let you review now. 


	11. Goku's Thoughts

**Chapter 11**

The island where the World's Martial Arts Tournament was to take place was small compared to the rest of Japan but big enough to support both thousands of people from across the globe and a massive stadium which put the Roman Coliseum to shame.

As the Z-fighters, claimed by a sudden nostalgia, chatted excitedly about past tournaments and forgotten foes, Usagi froze in wonder. The tournament seemed to embody an atmosphere resembling a carnival rather than a fighting competition. She spied at least four dozen overstocked venders selling everything from brightly colored cloth to cotton candy.

Her stomach rumbled painfully voicing its complaints about being neglected over the past few days. It was easily quieted. After all, this was nothing new. Usagi quickly glanced at her mother and, thankfully, found her cuddled around the man claiming to be her father, clutching him as if he would disappear tomorrow, which he would since it was his last day among the living. Usagi was almost sad to see him go. She hadn't been beaten all week, of course that didn't stop her mother from locking her in her room during every meal, letting her smell the food but not taste it.

With a sigh, she resumed her observations; diligently shoving away the ambrosia scents of roasting hotdogs and the sticky sweetness of cotton candy before her mother noticed her interest and ordered her to wait in the aircar. Beneath the shrieks of delighted children watching a clown fold balloons for the first time, the groans of parents feeling their wallets getting lighter and lighter as each moment passes, below even the tension of the fighters scanning the crowd sizing up their competition, and the slow creep of doubt afterward, lay a faint buzzing of excitement, of bloodthirsty need. Not even the buttery stench of popcorn could mask this faint trembling, this anticipation of the fight ahead. Surely the ancient Romans felt the same as they watched with bated breath as men fought beast, men fought fire, as men fought men. Surely the same feeling of feral longing permeated the humidity of the noon sun and draped about the helpless humans like a blanket of savage lust for the liquid of life.

Usagi's Saiyajin blood sang as she tasted the hidden longings in the air.

Thanks to the nightmare visions of pink monsters and shriveled crickets, she knew what would happen this day. While the regulations for the world championship didn't require a fight to the death, Usagi knew that blood would be spilled this day, and life would be lost. Proof was found in the puffy bruising under her eyes which told tales of sleepless nights filled with tears.

"Hey."

Usagi froze at the deep baritone voice. '_Please don't let it be him. Please –'_ Slowly, she turned her attention from the chaotic crowd to the steel warrior boots of her father.

She clinched her eyes shut as she remembered that morning when her mother cornered her in her room. "You are not to say one word to that man. Not one word, understand? He needs to spend his last day with the family who matter." Usagi stifled the urge to touch her cheek; it was still throbbing.

"I know this place can be kind of overwhelming," Goku continued when he thought he had her attention. He couldn't really tell with her head bowed like that and the heart-shaped bangs falling forward to veil even more of her face.

She nodded. Had he caught her looking? Was he going to punish her before sending her to the aircar? She took a deep breath and waited.

Goku frowned at her lack of input. He knew she could talk; he saw her with Goten and Trunks a few times. Why didn't she talk to him? Was she just shy around adults? He blinked. '_That must be it. Maybe it's because she's sick.'_ He recalled Chichi saying that the reason his daughter didn't join them for meals was because she was sick and didn't want to eat anything. He thought nothing of it at the time because he had never been sick before in his life. He didn't recall Gohan ever getting sick either. '_Maybe girl half-Saiyajins are different.'_

He examined her tiny form critically, noticing the slight protrusion of her wrist and ankle bones and her frail hands. She looked like he could sneeze and knock her over, breaking half her bones on the landing. Something tugged at the back of his mind, but he pushed it away sensing that the thought wouldn't be pleasant. '_Girls are supposed to look like this, right?'_

Usagi stood as still as possible, imagining she was made of stone. Maybe he would get tired after a while and go away. She could feel him slowly looking her over as if she were a toy he was thinking of buying. What she wouldn't give to have Trunks in front of her right now.

She winced at his name. He was still really mad at her for lying to him during the school fire and currently wasn't speaking to her. A quick peek between her bangs revealed that he was standing with his mother, speaking to Goten. Her little brother hadn't spoken to her because he'd been occupied with their father. She turned her gaze back to the ground when her chest started to ache. She hadn't expected loneliness to hurt this much.

Goku looked down at the blonde curls twisted in the strange hairstyle and began to feel awkward. Sleep came late to him the night before because he had realized that while he and his youngest son had become fast friends – or would that be relatives? – he knew practically nothing about his only daughter. When summoning the happiest images of his children, he saw a picture of Gohan when he was a preteen, standing before Cell defending his planet. No father could have been more proud at that moment. He saw Goten holding a gloved hand high in the air triumphantly. He grinned when he recalled their three hour game of catch, Saiyajin style.

'_Usagi . . . well,'_ he frowned and racked his brain for the only memory of his female offspring.

It was just after he returned from space and confronted Mirai Trunks. Chichi went into labor . . .

* * *

"Are you sure, Chichi?" Goku asked hesitantly.

"Yes! I have a headache the size of Namek. I don't need a squalling baby around me right now," she yelled over the loud child while trying to smooth down black sweat-soaked tendrils framing her face.

Goku shifted his feet, attempting to keep a hold on the little body. "But you never saw Namek. How do you know how big it was?"

"Goku!" The man slowly began to back away. "Just get her away from me!"

The strongest man in the universe put the sound barrier to shame as he bolted from the eye-watering sterility of the hospital room to escape his disgruntled wife. As he made his way down the hall where his friends and son waited, he looked the newest member of his family over.

She was so tiny! With awkward hands, he tried to support her head, praying he didn't squeeze her too hard and break her, hoping he didn't drop her. Being a father was stressful work. Besides, he didn't have much practice with holding babies; Chichi wouldn't let him even touch Gohan until the boy could walk.

'_Why is she crying?'_ He wasn't even sure what she was doing could be called that. Her head was tipped back, mouth was gaping open, eyes were clinched tight, while rivers of tears poured down her cheeks as an unholy wail gushed from her toothless mouth. '_How can something so small be so loud?'_

Nurses and doctors alike paused to cover their ears and watch his progress down the hall like a flock of disapproving hawks. His cheeks burned in embarrassment. He wished he had left the baby with the nurses and showed her to everyone later. He picked up his pace.

"Shhh . . ." he whispered desperately. The baby didn't listen. All the doctors had explained that giving birth is painful for both the mother and the child. Goku winced when she reached a painfully high pitch. '_It couldn't have hurt that much. I barely had time to get Chichi to the hospital before she popped out.'_ He shook his head and stepped into the waiting room. '_It was almost like she couldn't wait to get away from Chichi.'_

"Whoa, that baby was yours?" Krillen asked, amazed. "We heard her all they way in here."

Gohan looked at his little sister for a quick second before retreating to the other side of the room with his hands tightly clasped over his ears.

"Bulma, why is she crying?" Goku asked his genius friend while holding his daughter at arms length.

"Babies cry, Goku," she explained while clutching a squirming Trunks tighter.

"Shut her up, Kakarot!" Vegeta ordered while gripping his ears in pain.

"I don't know how!" Goku frantically looked the wailing child over. Maybe she had an off switch or something – better yet, a mute button like on the T.V. remote.

Vegeta growled and snatched the child from his rival's hands. "That's because you're not holding her right, idiot." He placed the child in the nook of his bent arm and pulled her to his spandex-clad chest.

Everyone sighed with relief when she took a few gulping breaths and quieted. Goku watched his daughter turn instinctively toward the warmth. Vegeta willed his sensitive Saiyajin ears to stop aching before glancing down at the tiny creature in his arms.

Cerulean met obsidian. Vegeta blinked. '_No Saiyajin has blue eyes.'_ His thoughts abruptly vanished as he became captured. The longer he looked, the more he thought he saw something lurking behind the innocent eyes. Some light was fighting its way through the sea of blue. Churning. He shook his head to clear his thoughts dismissing the light as refractions of her tears. He glanced atop her mostly bald head and found a few wisps of blond hair. She had human hair like his son.

"Are you sure she's the right brat, Kakarot? I've never known a Saiyajin with her coloring."

Goku nodded. "Yeah, she's the one that popped out of Chichi's stomach." The younger man grimaced. "They made me watch."

Vegeta rolled his eyes at the overly simple answer. It was too bad that the third-class warrior didn't retain any of his father's genius.

"Well, Trunks has odd coloring too. I mean, a purple-haired, blue-eyed Saiyajin, come on," Bulma reasoned.

Vegeta finally conceded defeat when the child's brown tail fought free of the pink blanket prison and waved at the crowd.

"Mama? Mama?" Baby Trunks tugged at his mother's teal hair and pointed at his father.

Bulma winced and quickly pulled the teal strands free. '_Even at a year old he has one hell of a grip.'_ She massaged her aching scalp while answering, "That's a baby."

"Baby?" Chibi Trunks looked at his father and shouted, "Baby!"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at the demanding tone his son used. Bulma groaned. "Oh Dende, not two arrogant princes!" she cried desperately to the heavens. Krillen snickered in the background.

Vegeta smirked and obediently walked to his son. He, apparently, had quite an influence on the boy. The closer he got the more Trunks strained to see what was in the pink blanket. The prince of all Saiyajins knelt for the first time since Frieza so that both baby and child could see each other with ease.

Silence echoed through the waiting room as the Z-senshi waited to see how the half-Saiyajins would react to one another. Cerulean met frost. Bulma bit back a giggle at the cute sight. Both were staring at the other in utter fascination, eyes wide, mouths dropped – the whole deal. After a minute of complete stillness Trunks began to struggle from his mother's restrictive grasp.

She quickly held him tighter, keeping him from falling. "No, Trunks. You might hurt her."

He reached all of his limbs forward, straining to touch his new friend. Some instinct must have registered within her infant brain because soon her tail started to reach out. Everyone watched as their tails met and twisted together. Trunks grinned in triumph and waved his fists in the air. Cerulean eyes softened.

Trunks pointed at the unnamed girl and looked at both of his parents with a cute frown. "Baby!"

Bulma nodded. "Yes, that's a baby."

Trunks pointed to himself. "Mine."

Bulma smiled adoringly at her son, shaking her head. "No, she's Goku's." She pointed to the stunned man across the room.

Trunks followed her finger and frowned at the Saiyajin. He pointed to himself more forcefully. "Baby mine!"

Vegeta blinked a few times before understanding slowly dawned. He looked between the two brats and laughed. Everyone stared at him as though he had announced he was going to dye his hair pink and build a shrine to worship Frieza.

Krillen cleared his throat awkwardly, fighting the urge to run screaming into the night. "Umm . . . Vegeta, are you okay?" Even the children looked at him strangely.

Bulma saw just how pleased he was and grew even more confused.

"I'll bet my crown that in about – oh, say seventeen years from now – we'll be related to that third-class baka," he told his mate with complete conviction.

"Related?" Goku scratched his head. "How?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Because, Kakarot, the brat's already taken the first step."

"The first step?" Gohan asked from his corner.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Yamcha asked.

Vegeta waved his hand dismissively. "Things are going to get interesting in a few years," he predicted.

Bulma shook her head at her husband's mysteriousness. Sometimes she thought he kept everyone in the dark because he got some perverse pleasure at knowing something everyone else didn't. "So, Goku, what is her name?"

He blinked. "I have to name her?!"

* * *

Goku looked down at the blonde curls and remembered the helplessness he felt when all she did was cry. No matter what he did. Chichi refused to help, claiming that the child was a migraine magnet. He even bought a book Fatherhood for Dummies, sang every lullaby invented, and made funny faces until his mouth ached and his eyes threatened to become permanently crossed, and still she cried. Finally, after three weeks of sleepless nights he accepted the inevitable and took her to Bulma's.

Goku slowly stood and stared at Usagi's bowed head regretfully. He remembered the strange feeling that churned deep inside of his belly as he handed his wailing daughter to another man and watched her quiet immediately and drift into the world of dreams.

Usagi held her breath as the man began backing from her. Her shoulders sagged with relief when he turned on his heel and quickly strode away.

Goku heard her relieved sigh and flinched. She never needed him, never wanted him. He scooped Goten up in his arms letting the boy's startled laughter banish his tears of rejection.

* * *

AN: I know that this is kind of short, but I think it portrays Goku's inner feelings towards Usagi and lets us know that not all adults are as bitchy as Chichi or as self-deluding as Bulma. Hope you enjoyed. Please review and tell me what you think. 


	12. The Sacrifice

**Chapter 12**

Trunks discreetly glanced between the mass of legs at Usagi. He frowned. "Goten!" he hissed with panic, immediately turning the black-haired boy's attention from his father.

"What's wrong, Trunks?"

The older boy moved closer to his companion so no one could overhear their conversation. "When was the last time Usa ate?"

The younger boy glanced at his sister and shrugged. "I don't know."

Trunks gritted his teeth. "You don't know? Haven't you been sneaking food to her?"

Goten glanced at his feet and squirmed under his best friend's death glare. "I've been kind of busy with my dad and everything . . ." he trailed off with a blush as if realizing that his reasoning was less than sound.

"Really?" Trunks ground out in a deceptively mild tone.

"Yeah!" Goten grinned excitedly, mistakenly thinking Trunks was interested. "We played catch and everything just like I'd always imagined!"

"So you were out playing ball and having the time of your life while Usagi was locked in her room starving?" Trunks stated incredulously, testing his understanding. Goten was back to looking guilty. He even nodded slightly. That was what lit the fuse of Trunks' temper. Forgetting to keep his voice down, he exploded, inadvertently drawing everyone's attention. "It would have taken you – what? – all of ten seconds!"

Goten winced and backed away slightly. Quietly he confessed so that only Trunks could hear his shame. "I'm tired of always worrying about her. I only want to worry about me."

Trunks shook from restrained rage. He really wanted to hit something. "Don't blame her for this. Blame the one who's really responsible." He glared at Chichi and indulged in a pleasant fantasy where he walked up to her and ripped all of her hair out. Eyes immediately snapped shut as he fought back the urge to give in. The Saiyajin blood seethed, scalding his insides, begging him to follow his instincts and remove the threat at all costs.

A cool hand slipped around his fist, draining the violent impulses with a mere touch. Slowly his muscles relaxed until he finally opened his eyes and stared into the concerned pair of the girl he couldn't stay mad at. With cracked eyes he watched her turn to her brother inquisitively, asking with her eyes what was wrong. She didn't see the shine of bloodlust fading from his frost-like eyes.

"Usa, I'm sorry," Goten mumbled. She looked confused so he elaborated. "About not showing up."

She took one of his hands in hers and squeezed reassuringly. "Don't worry about it." She glanced at the steel-tipped boots a few feet away. "Just because I don't . . ." she trailed off leaving her emotions unknown, "-doesn't mean you can't spend as much time with him as possible. Besides," she forced a laugh, "I've lasted longer than three days without . . ." she trailed off again leaving the adults to ponder the end of her thoughts. Goten breathed a relieved sigh before giving her a quick hug, careful not to squeeze her too hard and cause her starved muscles anymore pain.

Trunks tugged at the hand he now held and waited patiently for her hesitant gaze to meet his. "No more lies, Usa." His voice was steel-coated with a warning. He was ordering her.

She stared at him for a long moment, recognizing the hint of dark violence still lurking within the shadows of his frigid eyes, before nodding her assent quickly. "No more." Trunks detected a hint of fear in her words and brushed it off. Both of them knew that he wouldn't hurt her, but the potential of bloodshed existed within him thanks to his heritage of powerful kings ruthlessly ruling one of the most powerful races with cruel and brutal hands. He was still a prince while she was merely his subject, the daughter of a third-class soldier.

She turned her head away from his intense stare as the knowledge echoed through her mind. Trunks smirked triumphantly, pulling her to his side. She yielded to his will without resistance.

"Hey Gohan, or is it the Great Saiyaman?" a cheerfully feminine voice asked breaking the intense moment. Everyone turned to watch a short-haired girl hug the blushing demi-Saiyajin.

"Err, well, you can call me either," Gohan mumbled quietly and blushed all the more.

"Aww, who's this Gohan? How come you didn't tell us you had a little girlfriend on the side, huh? So, when's the wedding?" Krillen jumped in immediately and watched with extreme satisfaction as both teenagers turned fire engine red. What kind of friend would he be if he didn't rib him a little? Besides, Krillen had a feeling that while the little boy who had fought side by side with him against one of the most evil tyrants of all time had grown into a little genius, he didn't really know squat about girls and the whole relationship thing.

"Umm . . ." the Superhero sputtered.

The girl rolled her eyes at her boyfriend and shook her head sadly before stepping forward. "I'm Videl Satan." That statement got a few raised eyebrows. Everyone present knew what a big fake her father was and how he claimed credit for defending the world against Cell when in reality it was a pre-teen Gohan who had the honors. Besides Vegeta's dubious snort, no one said anything, letting the outspoken girl continue.

"Gohan's told me all about you! Oh, let me guess who everyone is . . . hmmm. . . well, I've already met his family. How are you Mr. Son? Mrs. Son?" she greeted Goku and Chichi with a smile. Chichi beamed back, having already approved her son's choice. Goku waved enthusiastically. Any friend of Gohan's was a friend of his.

"Hey Goten! Have you been practicing your flying?" The boy nodded a few times while grinning. They had been co-pupils under his older brother.

Videl looked at the other group of warriors and, sure enough, greeted everyone by name. She squatted down and gazed at the group of children huddled together. "You must be Trunks; you're the only one I've ever heard of who has naturally purple hair."

Trunks stiffened when she turned to frown at the last person to be named. His mind raced for something to say that would divert her attention from Usagi and allow his friend a few more moments to prepare. He grinned as he recalled that Usagi was stubbornly convinced that his hair was lavender and _not _purple.

"Actually," he stated arrogantly. "It's lavender." He felt Usagi stiffen and saw her slight grin; she knew what he was trying to do.

Videl examined his hair again before nodding. "So it is."

Usagi stilled herself when everyone's attention turned to her and Videl. The black-haired teenager cocked her head to the side and studied the small child in confusion. Apparently she couldn't place the face to any descriptions she had memorized in hopes of impressing all of her boyfriend's friends. Videl balanced on her heels for a long moment, hastily scouring her memory for any mention of a blond child in Gohan's life.

"Are you Krillen and 18's child? Marron, is it?" she asked noting the blond hair and thinking that she had glimpsed blue eyes sometime before.

Krillen chuckled. "Unfortunately, no," the affection for his student was noticeable in his answer, causing Goku to regard his best friend in confusion. '_But, I thought she was shy around adults. How does Krillen know her?' _

"We left Marron with a sitter; she's too young to watch something so violent," 18 concluded.

Videl sighed in defeat and shifted to stare adoringly at her beau. '_There goes my astounding all of these fighters.'_ "I give up. Who's she Gohan?" With a great deal of astonishment, she watched the boy glance at the golden child before quickly looking away. Videl's brow furrowed. '_Is that guilt I'm seeing?'_ she frowned. '_Why would he feel guilty?'_

"Well, that's . . ." he trailed off while staring at a nearby tree, studying its bark as if the fate of the world depended on the memorization. "Usagi," he breathed after a long moment. "My . . . uh . . . my sister, I guess."

Videl frowned in confusion. "You never told me you had a sister, much less one as cute as her," she motioned to the subject of their conversation.

Gohan shifted uneasily on his feet glancing around at the assembled group of family and friends for help. His eyes met the identical pair of his mother's and locked. Chichi smirked slightly and nodded her approval. The teen swelled with confidence and met the questioning eyes of his girlfriend without a hint of remorse and shrugged indifferently. "I guess I forgot."

Usagi flinched.

Before Videl could question how the smartest boy in her class could forget his only sister, a deep voice announced through the static of the speaker systems, "All fighters please report to the appropriate stations to register for the tournament. All fighters . . ." He repeated his statement.

"I guess that's us," Bulma said before grabbing her cooler pack full of bottled water and fruit rollups; there was no way she was getting hungry.

* * *

"What!" Trunks shouted in rage and lunged at the red-robed monk behind the desk.

Bulma grabbed his ear and painfully yanked him back to the ground. "Trunks, you know better than to attack people just because you don't like what they tell you." She firmly reprimanded while he rubbed his aching ear and scowled darkly at everyone in the general facility.

"But Mom it's not fair! They can't do that. I don't want to fight weak babies; I want to join the adult competition."

Bulma sighed and cast an apologetic look to the indignant monk officials before regarding her only son. "I'm sorry Trunks, but those are the rules."

"Yeah, and they suck!"

" –Besides," she doggedly continued, "not all of the kids are going to be weak. You'll have Goten to occupy your time."

"Huh? What?" Goten snapped from his staring contest with the balloon bobbing in the distance – it was winning anyway. "What about me?"

Trunks sighed, conceding defeat. "I guess."

Goten scratched his head. "I don't understand. What's going on?"

Trunks began massaging his temples in an effort to combat the emerging headache. "Nothing Goten. Don't worry about it."

"Oh, okay!" came the chirpy reply. Trunks flinched.

Chilled fingers brushed the side of his head, magically banishing the building pressure. Trunks smiled thankfully at Usagi before finishing submitting his personal information to the monks and officially becoming a contestant in the junior division of the World Martial Arts Tournament.

Once everyone finished registering, a black-mustached, round-bellied, red-robed monk led them away from the table to a sign with arrows pointing every which way. His nasal whine of a voice grated on everyone's ears. "All registered fighters will continue right where they will begin preparing for the preliminary contest which will determine the ten winners who will compete for the award and the prize money. The junior fighters will continue to the left towards that small building outside the coliseum," he pointed a meaty finger to a brick structure. "The non-fighters will continue straight ahead where they may purchase various souvenirs and snacks before finding a seat in the stands."

Chichi pried herself away from her husband's side and knelt before her youngest son. "Good luck, Goten! Have fun, and remember that no matter what happens I'm proud of you."

Bulma gave her son a hug before slowly standing to glare at her husband. Vegeta crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at her inquiry. "What have I done now, woman?"

She smiled and slugged him in the arm. He shook his head sadly at her strength or lack thereof. "You be careful you big oaf. I have too much to do without bandaging you up too."

He scoffed. "Your concern is most touching." He sighed dramatically. "In my weakest moment, I'll be sure to remember your caring words which I have already draped around my soul. Just as the light of the sunrise engulfs a budding daffodil, so, too, does your eternal love surround my tormented heart. In gazing at your ethereal beauty, I am content. Content to die a thousand deaths. Content to stand against a foe whose rage burns like the fire of a thousand suns. Content."

Dead silence.

A smug grin slithered across his face at the various stunned expressions of his friends.

Bulma frowned. "You've been reading poetry, again." She started rummaging through her giant knapsack of a purse. "I wondered about that anthology I found in our bedroom." Her search became more frantic. "I just can't handle this sudden change in personality. You're not bipolar are you? Can Saiyajins be bipolar? Damn it! Where is my aspirin!" she babbled.

Vegeta winked conspiratorially at them. Usagi bit back a giggle. The older prince loved to rattle his mate and occasionally enlisted the kids' help. They regarded it as a game in which victory was achieved only when Bulma turned to aspirin or any other drug to help her cope with her insane family.

No one could speak for the shock was too fresh. The monk had no such trouble, however. He coughed loudly to regain their attention. Many continued to stare, pole-axed at the pointy-haired Saiyajin.

"I have many duties to attend to; so, if you could please commence with the goodbyes and good lucks I would be most obliged."

Chichi shook herself from her stupor. "You be careful too Goku, Gohan. I don't want any of my boys getting hurt."

Bulma popped a few pills while she rushed away from the group, followed closely by an anxious Chichi.

"You too missy," the monk prompted.

Usagi took a step forward and hesitated. She really didn't want to sit with her mom.

Trunks sensed her indecision and stepped forward to become her champion once again. "Why can't she come with us?"

The fat man sighed. "As I've already explained, since she is not registered as a fighter she must continue to the stadium. Those are the rules. No exceptions."

Vegeta stepped forward, scooped Usagi up, and set her on his hip. He grinned at the stubborn official. "Try and stop me."

Usagi draped her arms around his shoulders and buried her head in the crook of his neck, breathing in the familiar sent of sweat and smoke while he stalked passed the blubbering man. Slowly, the other members of the Z-warriors followed. Usagi waved at her best friend and her brother over Vegeta's shoulder.

* * *

Goku kept glancing at the little girl his prince carried and strained to hear what she was quietly whispering to him. '_I thought she was shy with adults.'_ He watched closely as the stoic man seemed to ignore whatever she was saying. '_Why does she talk to him when he isn't even listening?'_ It wasn't fair. Goku quickly averted his gaze to the tiled floor beneath his feet when the churning in his stomach threatened to boil over. He had only felt like this once before in his life when she was an infant.

"Are you Son Goku?"

He was quickly jerked from his thoughts when he noticed that their group's path was blocked by one short purple man with shockingly white hair and a tall, equally white-haired pink man with a wrinkled face which seemed to embody a hard life. The Saiyajin cocked his head to the side as he studied the mysterious pair. A cloud of restrained power crept from the air around them; they had presence.

"I am."

Vegeta tore his gaze from the new arrivals when he felt the child in his arms tense. Her white face and still breath spoke volumes. His eyes swept the two men once more, measuring them more thoroughly, but, again, came up lacking. They didn't look so tough, both of puny build and average power levels. Sure, he could sense the underlying ki; but it didn't seem so great.

"Your reputation of being a fighter without equal precedes you. I was wondering if I could have the honor of shaking your hand."

Goku studied the purple man for a long moment before deciding that touching hands could do no harm. He grinned, "Sure!"

Shin glanced at the Saiyajin's companions before he and Kibito let them pass. He paused only twice in his examination of the diverse group, once on the green Namek who looked slightly pale around the edges and highly suspicious and on the only child present. There was something about her that nagged at the back of his mind, but he pushed it away. Time had a way of revealing everything, and he learned long ago that patience was the only tool needed to obtain infinite knowledge.

As he watched them head toward the preliminary competition, he knew that he would be seeing them in the finals. "Kibito? Did that little girl seem familiar to you?" His companion seemed startled and then thoughtful but finally shook his head. "No matter. All will be revealed in due course."

Meanwhile, Krillen waited until they walked out of sight of the strange men before shuddering. "Was it just me, or did those two give you the willies?"

Goku chuckled lightly. "I don't know, Krillen. I mean, they seemed a little strange, but that's one of the reasons for this tournament. You know, to meet new people and experience new cultures. I'm sure they're perfectly normal wherever they come from."

Krillen eyed his best friend doubtfully. "I don't know." He paused for a moment and shuddered again. "I don't care what country they're from; they're still creepy." He hesitantly glanced over his shoulder. "Very, very creepy."

Vegeta's curiosity finally peeked when Usagi clutched his shoulders as tight as she could and buried her face in his neck, as if she wanted to disappear inside of him. "What's wrong with you, brat?" She didn't answer. "Do you know them?" Her subtle shaking increased, but she remained silent. "Did those freaks hurt you?" he pressed on stubbornly, knowing that her odd behavior usually had sound reason behind it.

He was about to shake her into speech when she whispered so softly that even his enhanced hearing had trouble understanding. "Not yet."

His brow creased. What was that supposed to mean? He opened his mouth to ask her just that when she cut him off. "I love you, Vegeta."

He nearly tripped over his own feet. That was the last thing he was expecting her to say. '_What brought this on?'_ He repeatedly cleared his throat but still couldn't find anything to say. Even his own son hadn't spoken those three forbidden words aloud; it was implied. He glanced down at her blanket of golden tresses praying to find a bloody concussion to excuse her girly behavior. Her human, sentimental side was showing through. After a few uncomfortable moments, he chose the better part of valor and opted not to say anything.

Usagi breathed a sigh of relief. He was taking her admission better than she thought he would. She knew that his Saiyajin pride prevented him from acknowledging her confession, but she had to say it before she lost the chance. He had to know how much she appreciated his presence in her life.

It was happening. Just like in her dream, word for word, the day was unfolding as she had witnessed over and over in her nightmares this past week. She clinched her eyes shut and pressed tighter to her surrogate father. So many people would die, and there was nothing she could do about it.

* * *

Usagi stared at the destruction in mute fascination. The charred concrete had been reduced to a fine powder in most places; but the blast only demolished one quarter of the stadium, so what was left untouched remained pristine – an eyesore amidst the rubble. Most of the spectators were fleeing in one huge stampede of screaming, witless humans. Amid the chaos, Usagi stood silently watching a man.

He lay out in the open watching the sky as he struggled for breath. A ripple from Vegeta's ki blast had severed this man's right arm and leg, but, unfortunately, didn't completely cauterize the wound. He fought against death for every breath even as the blood oozed from the stubs of his appendages. Usagi knew that there was nothing she could do, so she watched. If this human had the courage to fight against the inevitable in spite of how painful it must be, then the least she could do was watch and remember his last moments.

"Damn Vegeta. Damn him!" Bulma's infuriated comment drew Usagi's attention away from the man who had grown still and silent a few minutes earlier. "He knew that we would call the Dragon Balls and wish back all these people. Of all the irresponsible, stupid! Arg!" she shouted while wiping tears from her face.

"He . . . he slaughtered them . . ." the dark-haired man named Yamcha stared dumbly at the mass of broken bodies scattered around. "Just ki blasted this whole section . . . like we humans were just . . . worthless cattle."

Chichi looked at her friend and shook her head. "This is something I would expect from that arrogant monkey prince."

Bulma closed her eyes for a long moment and visibly collected herself. She took a deep breath before her eyes snapped open and she became the cool-headed commander who told off dozens of sharply-dressed, pompous men on a daily basis.

"Yamcha!" she snapped. He jumped. "Go to Capsule Corp. and get the Dragon radar. In the same drawer you'll find the first five Dragon Balls, so you'll only need to collect the last two.

He was nodding a few times and finally blasted off, calling over his shoulder, "I'll hurry."

Chichi stepped closer and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "It's okay. My Goku will stop that monster."

Bulma jerked away and shouted, "My husband is not a monster!"

Chichi wisely remained silent.

Usagi looked away from the two women and chose to stare at the swirling smoke rising from the ruins. The Supreme Kai had revealed himself and recruited the help of the Earth fighters. They blasted off leaving her behind to watch 18 and Mr. Satan's pathetic attempt at a real fight; but, then she didn't need to be there to know what was happening.

Her vision remained true even when Goku and a possessed Vegeta returned to the tournament to begin the fight they had yearned for since the defeat of Frieza. In an attempt to infuriate his opponent, Vegeta ki blasted a whole section of the audience, instantly killing hundreds of people.

Usagi closed her eyes. She knew that the pink child-monster would awaken soon and that her guardian angel would make the final sacrifice. It was just, simply, a matter of time.

Thirty minutes passed and still Usagi remained frozen, watching the smoke and tracking the fight through the play of power levels in the air. It would be over soon.

A few minutes later, the man from before – Yamcha – landed juggling a lumpy sack in one hand and a madly beeping radar in the other. "I found them!" he cried cheerfully. "The other two were at Master Roshi's house, so it was a piece of cake." His happy voice sounded blasphemous amid the destruction. Usagi stared at the litter of bodies and their various parts. '_How can anyone be happy?'_

The fighters are returning," 18's monotoned voice announced. She was no longer an android, but old habits died hard.

Bulma's face cleared and she relaxed minutely before gathering her immense will and commanding Yamcha. "Alright, well, we'll just make the first wish before they get here and," she broke off and stared at the crumbling stadium, pushing away memories of the screaming mob and the moans of pain, "return everything to the way it was."

Once the Dragon Balls were placed in the correct sequence – the orbs winked at them – and they began to glow with an ancient power colored gold, the color of the Earth's life force, Bulma stepped forward with her arms raised to the clouding sky. "Hear me, Eternal Dragon! Waken from your infinite slumber and grant my two wishes! The starred balls have been assembled; I demand your presence. Eternal Dragon!"

Usagi watched with awe as the sky began to darken, as silver-lined storm clouds rolled across the horizon out of nowhere and gathered overhead. Lightning skipped from cloud to cloud in some heavenly game of hopscotch, illuminating the land below and deafening all creatures with its resulting thunder. The wind whipped at their clothing and forced bits of rubble, grass, and leaves to twirl into the air, as if nature wanted to merge earth and sky.

Strips of jagged lightning collided and massed together in a blinding display. Through squinted eyes, Usagi could make out the form of a dragon winking into existence, until finally solidifying into one massive creature.

It was more body than head, but was completely reptilian. Its emerald green scales seemed surreal because they reflected the light from the silver-lined clouds that begged to release rain. Spikes decorated the length of its winding body which seemed as if it could wrap the world four times over and still have flesh to spare. Great coils of whiskers – '_Dragons have whiskers?'_ Usagi thought – floated beside its massive jaws which housed rows of glistening, sharp fangs. However, what really unnerved Usagi was its glowing red eyes, which seemed to embody all the world's knowledge but retained a flat quality as if emotions were but a hazy dream it had no recollection of.

"**State your first wish, mortal. I have no desire to wait**," its deep voice put any bass system to shame as it seemed to vibrate the ground and rattle the innermost bones in the body.

Bulma gulped and hesitantly stepped forward. Even though she had summoned the Dragon a handful of times, the sight of it still made her knees weak. "I wish that you would restore all damage inflicted here today."

Usagi gasped and took a few hasty steps away, when the creature's eyes began to glow brighter and the lightning surged to life. "**Your wish has been granted, however, the ones you know as Goku and Vegeta cannot be restored to health because I have already granted their lives once before.**"

Bulma frowned in confusion, denial sharp in her mind. "What did he mean by Vegeta?"

Usagi fell to her knees and gripped her ears in pain; the thunder was head-splitting. She took a few gulping breaths and forced herself to remain calm. The lightning was so close. Her fear of the blinding light remained prominent in her mind. She hated thunderstorms. Not to mention they were murder on Saiyajin ears.

When she finally gained enough courage, she opened her eyes and looked in interest at the assembled stadium. It no longer looked at though an infant smashed it in a fit of temper, but gleamed whole and complete. She watched with wonder as people began to appear and the broken bodies that had lain so still twitched and became animated once again. A confused chatter seemed to sweep across the mass of people.

"Oh, dear. What in heaven am I doing on the ground of all places?" one woman exclaimed.

A fat man with a mustache helped her to her feet. "Are you hurt? No? Jolly good! The ground is just full of disgusting little creatures crawling about."

The courageous man she watched bleed to death slowly gasped for breath as his wounds closed and color returned to his skin. He struggled into a sitting position and looked around in confusion. Usagi fought the urge to go to him and give him a hug. He was alive!

The crowd began pulling out capsuled cars and driving away, returning to their normal lives not recalling their own deaths or seeing the massive dragon hovering about them or the small group of spectators who looked on with wonder at witnessing a miracle.

Out of the night-enforced sky descended the Z-senshi. Piccolo was supporting a weak but mobile Goku to his right – one arm over his shoulder – while an unconscious Gohan was slung over his other shoulder. Krillen landed next with a waking Goten and Trunks in each arm. Finally, the Supreme Kai touched ground, his face grim but triumphant even though he held his back and winced with pain.

Usaig paled and immediately rushed to Krillen and helped relieve his burdens.

"Oh, my poor Gohan!" Chichi wailed in the background as she snatched the unconscious body of her first born away from his mentor. "Mommy's not going to let anything happen to you ever again," she crooned as she stroked the hair away from his head.

"H-He'll be alright, Chichi," a weak, but comforting voice sounded from Piccolo's other side.

"Goku!" she shrieked and launched herself into his arms – regardless of his various injuries and severely drained state – and wept loudly. He winced but slowly stroked her hair while his eyes searched out his other offspring.

Krillen quickly set the two boys down and tried to alleviate the anguished look on Usagi's face. "It's okay. They were just knocked out. They'll be okay."

As if to prove his statement, Goten groaned and scrunched his face as he slowly regained consciousness. Usagi knelt between him and Trunks and held their hands, giving them her support in the least physical way possible because she was afraid she'd hurt them even more.

"Usagi?" Goten whispered.

"Shhh . . . I'm here Goten. You're alright," she assured aloud and repeated it to herself silently, hoping that if she said it enough times then it would come true.

"W-Where's Vegeta?" Bulma asked hesitantly and looked around for her husband and mate.

Krillen refused to meet her eyes.

Her stomach sank.

"Where is he?" she asked again. Still, no answer.

Trunks twitched and gasped, fighting to the waking world. "No…" he moaned and jerked his head away.

"Trunks?" Usagi scooted closer and touched his forehead.

He groaned. "Dad…"

Bulma was growing frantic, denying what she felt was true. "Where is my husband!"

Trunks jerked awake and sat up, reaching out to a man who wasn't there. "Dad, no!" That man would never be there again.

Usagi watched as all hope drained from her best friend until he finally turned stricken teary eyes to her. "He's gone," he whispered brokenly. A lone tear struggled free. "H-He's . . ."

Bulma collapsed to her knees and gathered her only offspring in her arms and rocked him like she used to when he was a toddler. Trunks turned his face into his mother's shoulder and sobbed, while Bulma silently wept above him. They cried together, mourned as a family.

Usagi stepped away from them and began looking around at the rest of the group. Goten was alternating between clutching at his awaking brother's shoulders and his father. She could hear him begging Goku not to leave them even though a mere half hour remained of his time among the living. She looked into the eyes of the man claiming to be her father and saw genuine regret. An epiphany struck her, he _wanted_ to stay and watch his sons grow; he _wanted_ to be a part of their lives but was being denied that chance.

Usagi scanned the other, less familiar members of the group and found traces of grief and sadness. Even the Namek didn't want Goku to leave. These two Saiyajins' lives could cause so much grief and so much happiness. There were many people who were going to miss them. Too many people.

She stared into the glistening eyes of her older brother, studied how his body became hunched with a familiar grief and decided that he shouldn't have to suffer his father's death yet again. Her gaze landed on the heaving shoulders of her best friend, the strongest person she knew, and remembered his haunting, desolate gaze. '_No. Trunks doesn't deserve this. After everything he's done for me . . . no . . .'_

With a set jaw, she spun on her heel and marched across the field. In all this time the Dragon waited – patiently for once – and silently as if it knew of her struggle and didn't want to interfere. Odd, but she could almost feel its gaze centered on her like an oppressive glove. Waiting. Just waiting.

"I have a wish," her voice rang clear over the thunder. The entire group's attention focused on her petite frame. Her blonde hair whipped against the wind. "A bargain, actually. Will grant it?"

The Dragon's massive head lowered to her level – its glowing eyes stared down at her in silence. She gulped but clinched her fists and stood her ground.

Its throat rumbled – in amusement or hunger – she couldn't tell. "**What bargain?**"

She heard Trunks lift his head and whisper her name. He was so sad. She closed her eyes. He never deserved to be that sad. So, with a clear voice, she stated her wish.

"My life for the lives of the last two full-blooded Saiyajins."

Goku gasped.

The Dragon grinned. "**So be it.**"

Lightning arched from the clouds and down into her child body. Her eyes grew impossibly wide in horror as her fear became reality. In her head at a far distance, came the voice of the Dragon, "**But first, a gift for you, little Cosmos**."

Electricity coursed through her veins – shriveling cells and blackening tissue. Thunder seemed to surround her and pound into her until she wasn't sure where it stopped and she began. The only thing she could feel was the slow leaking of a liquid down her earlobe that accompanied the coppery smell of blood. But, through all of this, she saw a crisp image of a girl with her brunette hair pulled into a high ponytail who had rose earrings that winked between the falling strands. The phantom concentrated and called forth an attack, shouting, "_Jupiter Thunder Dragon!_"

As the massive jaws of the lightning dragon descended around her, Usagi jerked free of the vision and shivered as the freezing rain from the bursting clouds dotted her electrified skin. She couldn't hear the Dragon's last words "**Your wish has been granted**" because of her ruptured eardrums, but she felt its presence disperse.

Her eyes blinked against the falling droplets as she began to shiver uncontrollably. In the distance she felt a familiar ki flare to life. Her head limply fell to the side where she watched with the last of her fading vision as the yellow halo above Goku's head blinked out of existence.

As her soul slipped from its shell, her body faded away with a satisfied smirk on her face.

* * *

AN: Don't hate me! Everyone needs to thank my good friend Deirdre for nagging me EVERY damn DAY. She definitely deserves this chapter devoted to her. And, ya'll, don't worry the fic is not over – not by a long shot – Usagi's just going to hang in the afterlife for a little bit. I hope you will like what I've got planned. Review me! And tell me how much you want to rip my guts out with a blunt object for ending with a cliffhanger. Review! 


	13. New planet, old people

**Chapter 12**

Yellow. Other world, the afterlife, was filled with massive yellow clouds rolling, folding into one another. Usagi stood at the peak of a huge stone walkway that had sharp points raised on both sides giving it a scaly appearance. She squinted against the yellow glow of the clouds and gasped when she noticed the never-ending line of white cloud-like spirits.

'_I died for this?'_ she groaned.

Her interest was captured by a blue creature with a horn protruding from his well-manicured head of hair. The strange being was wearing a business suit, holding a clipboard, and currently screaming at the nearest spirit clouds to stay in line.

'_Okay…'_

The line didn't look like it was going to move anytime this century, so she let her attention wander. The rippling sea of ever-changing yellow expanded for as far as she could see. A sudden chill slithered down her spine accompanied by a deep pang of loneliness. The Saiyajin child in her cried out with excitement because of the adventure death would be, but she didn't want to go anywhere without Trunks or Goten.

'_I might not…not ever see them again.'_ The rolling clouds blurred as tears threatened to spill.

"Who's holding up the line? Hey you…" she heard a voice from behind her gasp. After blinking away the moisture in her eyes, Usagi turned to face the short blue creature. Saiyajins didn't cry.

"H-How?" he stammered out.

She raised an eyebrow. This thing was certainly acting strange.

"How can you still have your body? Only fighters keep their bodies after they die."

Usagi didn't trust her voice so soon after her near-crying-crisis, so she merely shrugged in answer.

"Well," the blue guy cleared his throat in an attempt to regain his superior bearing, "I suppose I should take you straight to King Yama." He ushered her to a rusty vehicle ignoring the indignant shouts from the spirit clouds about breaking in line.

As the tiny air car drew closer to its destination, Usagi's guide seemed to talk faster. He was practically gushing over the likelihood that _he_ of all the King's helpers should discover a fighter who had kept his – he blushed and corrected himself – _her_ body. She didn't feel like setting the creature straight about her being a fighter, so she simply hunched in and stared out the window.

'_What a strange place this is._' Just when she was sure the winding road would never end, a small speck over the next rise grabbed her attention. The longer she stared the taller it became until finally they mounted the hill where she found that what had started as a small speck was surely the tallest building in the entire universe. The mammoth structure reached to such great heights that the clouds obscured its summit.

"We're here!" her guide cheered.

She rolled her eyes. '_What an idiot.'_ The eternal line of spirit clouds led into this building. As she climbed the innumerable steps, she saw a small army of little blue creatures directing the traffic. Everyone grew quiet as soon as they spotted her until silence reined, and they were all staring.

"This way," her guide motioned, before hurrying ahead. She sighed and obediently followed.

They emerged into a room that was so large, clouds gathered at the top obscuring the ceiling. However fascinating she found that, it didn't compare to what lay within the room. At first she didn't see him as a whole. She simply stared at the biggest pair of business loafers she had ever encountered, and her mind refused to wrap around the fact that a person could be so large. The black shoes shined so bright, she could see a crisp, clear reflection of herself and the room behind her – like a mirror.

She gulped and allowed her gaze to drift upward past the desk that resembled a mahogany skyscraper and up to the bearded face of a giant. '_This can't be real.'_

The man regarded her with interest. "Hmm…name?" he barked while consulting a huge stack of papers at his elbow.

"Uh…" she swallowed, attempting to get moisture into her desert of a mouth, "Son Usagi."

He grunted and began searching through the files, grumbling about how fighters always have to cut in line and mess up the order of everything. The blue assistant shifted nervously. "Ah, yes. Here it is," the giant announced and pulled a single sheet free. He sat back and quickly scanned its contents. He looked at her in surprise and reread what was written, before sighing and regarding her in silence for a long moment.

"Son Usagi, hmm? I know your father. Great man, that. Great man…" he trailed off, thinking. With a jerk, he leaned forward and snatched up an ink quill on his desk.

"Since you're a Saiyajin, you'll go where all Saiyajins go," he scribbled frantically. "Back to your home planet of Vegeta-sei," he announced before officially stamping her sheet of paper. He addressed the blue manservant, "Take her in the aircar and drop her off."

The man nodded and began walking toward a side door.

Usagi took a few steps to follow but stopped short. She was confused about something. "Sir?" she ventured hesitantly, fearing reprisal. "I was told only fighters keep their bodies when they die…" she trailed off before announcing, "I don't know how to fight." She had considered not telling him, fearing that he might take her body and leave her to be just a spirit cloud like the rest which would annihilate any chances she had of coming back to life unless she was wished back immediately. Since the Dragon balls had already been used and wouldn't grant wishes again for a whole year, she would have been stuck floating blissfully along for the rest of eternity.

The giant's eyes softened, "You don't have to throw a single punch," he paused, "to fight for your life."

* * *

"So, I'm supposed to just jump?" Usagi questioned her guide, while looking down at the sea of yellow clouds dubiously.

"Yep!" he replied cheerfully. She chewed her lip and slowly stepped out of the plane to float in the air. "Don't worry," the blue man assured. "I've heard that it feels rather like a roller coaster when you're going down, but once you pass the clouds you should be fine."

She sighed and slowly descended into the unknown. Regardless of her loneliness and her confusion over King Yama's comment, her heart sped up as her Saiyajin blood pulsed with excitement. She would finally get to see the place that Vegeta had described with such longing in his eyes.

As her foot brushed the puffy yellow clouds, they latched on and sucked her down as if she were stuck in a fluffy vacuum. She descended so fast that the world around her became an incomprehensible blur of yellow. Her hair floated above her to mingle with the rising haze, blending together so well that she couldn't tell where she left off and it began. There was a strange WHOOSHing sound, and she was suddenly on her hands and knees coughing up dirt.

Usagi collapsed on the warm ground and closed her eyes, waiting for her head to stop spinning. '_What a rush.'_ The ground radiated heat, wrapping her in a comforting blanket of warmth, a welcoming contradiction to the chill of the clouds.

When sweat began to trickle down her back and her clothes clung uncomfortably, she rolled over on her back and stretched out on the dirt-packed ground, uncaring of the stray leaves that were clumping in her hair. The planet was hotter than she had expected. She blinked and sat up with a start, staring in amazement at the pale orange sky. The yellow clouds were gone. Before panic and the feeling of abandonment set in her half-Saiyajin hearing picked up a conversation in the distance.

"I'm telling you, it landed around here. Check your scouter. See?"

The man's companion grunted.

The familiar sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed across the desert sand, followed by a growl. "Don't grunt at me. Just check your damn scouter."

Usagi frowned and concentrated, closing her eyes, trying to locate their ki signatures.

"There! You see that?" the man exclaimed in victory, praying it was an invader so he could hunt it down, play a little while, and eradicate it.

His companion growled before conceding. "Fine. Let's go see what it is and kill it before we change shifts. It's been too boring around here anyway."

The first man laughed his agreement. "There's nothing like a little blood and guts before dinner."

Usagi's stomach swan-dived out of her body and deep into the ground at her feet. She could only hear a long strand of grunts and growls before the two kis began flying in her direction. Something told her that whoever was coming was not bringing a steaming apple pie and a friendly smile. It's a universal fact, Saiyajins can't cook. Her lips twitched, remembering the time she, Goten, and Trunks got together and tried to master the kitchen and make a cake for Bulma's birthday. The kitchen won, and the three half-Saiyajins retreated with a lump of charred bread and licked their wounds. She took off flying, scanning the ground below for possible hiding places.

"There!" the second man barked and shot a series of ki blasts at the retreating speck ahead of them.

"Can you see him? What species is he?" his companion asked eagerly, already trying to form an analysis of his enemy and the best plan to catch him.

The man simply shook his head. "Dunno. It's too fast to lock on to and too far away to tell. Damn it!" He thought for a moment and considered his options. "We're not going to catch this bastard."

His overconfident comrade snorted derisively. "You're finally starting to channel the little girl trapped deep inside. Fine, if you want to be a wuss and stay here, be my guest. That just makes the victory all the sweeter for me." He blasted off after the intruder, laughing over his shoulder. "Besides, Raseri doesn't reward cowards."

The other male took off after his cohort, "He doesn't reward idiots either."

Usagi's heart was lodged somewhere in her throat and stayed there even when she easily avoided the small ki blasts. At least now she knew that whoever were chasing her were probably Saiyajins judging by that energy blast and that they didn't like her. She refused to turn and look behind her, and instead concentrated on the ground below. Her heart twisted painfully. Apparently, she wasn't welcome in life or death.

Up ahead, buried half in sand, was an extremely rocky ravine that contained many small crevices and provided shade from the unforgiving sun. She picked an obscure collection of boulders on the edge of the valley, squeezed between the cracks, and huddled in the darkness pressing her face between her knees and fighting to keep her breathing quiet and her ki level down. They were almost upon her.

"Where did he go?" the first man's voice was followed by a series of beeps. "There's no trace left. He couldn't have just disappeared! Impossible!" he growled in frustration and blasted a nearby boulder to vent.

Usagi held her breath, feeling the vibrations in the sand, and hoped he wouldn't destroy the whole ravine with her in it.

The stoic voice of the second Saiyajin echoed among the rocks. "Disappear? No. But, could he have masked his ki?" The edge of his mouth kicked up a few degrees in satisfaction, "Didn't I tell you we wouldn't catch him."

"Shut up!" the first man shouted and swung blindly out, easily missing the second man. They were both silent for a long stressed moment as they considered the ramifications of an enemy running loose. The first man broke first. "I'll call this in. We're going to need back up – the elites can finally do something useful – and the commander said to report anything strange."

"Why?"

He answered absently as he began pressing a few buttons to contact the palace officials. "Raseri's Seer had a dream predicting the coming of a great force."

"An attack?" the second man inquired in surprise before chuckling mirthlessly. "No one would dare. No one's that stupid."

He shrugged in action and in voice. "Perhaps this elusive intruder is a scout?"

The second man frowned and finally growled out his consent. "Make the call."

* * *

Usagi sighed and cuddled her massive amount of hair around her, seeking warmth. The cool earth beneath the truck of the tree she temporarily claimed as home was soothing and quite comfortable, if a bit messy and cold. The tree was growing on an incline and as its roots stretched to reach the ground they formed a little hollow space perfect for small creatures seeking shade and shelter.

She was tired of running. A few days had passed since she arrived on the strange planet that seemed to be mostly rocky and desert-like with a few precious patches of lush forests occasionally dotting the horizon. All in all, there was just too much sand. They were still following her, except now it wasn't just the two but a virtual legion of wandering kis getting ever closer.

Usagi absently watched the weed outside her nest bob in the breeze. She hadn't even seen her pursuers. '_What if they aren't even Saiyajins?' _she bit her lip in agitation. Her earlier assumption could have been wrong. After all, Krillen, a human, and Piccolo, a Namekian, could also shoot ki blasts. '_What if I'm on the wrong planet and they eat children?'_ She shook her head and banished her fears. '_I'm starting to sound like Goten.'_ She closed her eyes and pushed back her grief to focus on her problems. '_What if they know a way to get me back through the clouds and to that big building?'_

She paused and let hope bud in her heart for a long moment before practicality squashed it down. '_Don't jump to conclusions. Maybe I'm really on Vegeta-sei.'_

After a long moment of deep thought she concluded that she would stop running and let them get close. She needed to see their faces just once to tell if they were Saiyajins or if she was stuck on some other planet. '_Please don't let them be slimy and disgusting,'_ she prayed to the guardian of this planet.

* * *

Bardock paused in his search and gazed at the patch of forest on the horizon. There was something about it . . .

"Will you shut up!" a female's voice ground out through clinched teeth, clinching her fists to keep from knocking her fist through his face. Normally she wouldn't hesitate, but they were on mission and thus ordered to save their anger for the enemy and not each other.

The black-haired Saiyajin with the bushy mustache clinging above his mouth laughed at her outraged face, daring her to strike him.

"Why are we doing this again? It's absolutely pointless. We're just flying around searching for someone who we might or might not recognize as an intruder. I have better things to do with my time than capture some idiot!" the deep brunette Saiyajin announced to his companions.

The mustached Saiyajin left the female soldier to fume and snorted his agreement. "I've got a liter of liquid fire at Brussel's Bar with my name all over it."

The woman grinned, "Yeah, because that's the only thing that will let you get 'all over it'. It's a sad day when you're driven to an inanimate object for satisfaction."

He glared. "Yeah, I bet you know all about that. Don't think I didn't see you touching that spear back on Danfoud-5." He grinned at her, "You can stroke my spear whenever you want."

"Enough!" the brown-headed Saiyajin shouted and held the female back when she lunged for the mustached man's throat.

"Temper, temper," Orgos sang out and slapped away her straining fingers.

"What is it, Bardock?" Tora asked as he struggled to keep Fausha restrained. At the mention of their leader, the two immediately stilled and shifted their attention, alert.

Bardock frowned, still staring at the greenery. "Those trees…" he trailed off.

Everyone remained silent as they waited, having learned that their captain's instincts were hardly ever wrong. Bardock shook his head and motioned for them. "Come with me."

* * *

Usagi felt the lone ki break away from the pack. She crouched in her tree, her calf muscles tensing – anxious to run – as she waited. A few minutes passed before she finally saw her pursuer's white boots walking along the creek's edge a few feet from her sanctuary. '_Just like Vegeta's…'_ She forcibly pushed the thought away and concentrated on here and now.

Closer. He crept ever closer. She dared not even breathe.

A twig snapped.

She burst from the tree and sprinted toward the trees on the other side of the bank, glancing over her shoulder hoping for a fleeting glance of his face.

As she was crossing the twinkling water, she froze in shock. "Goten …"

Bardock barreled down toward her completely acting on instinct. He tackled her stationary form to the ground and held on tight, ignoring the jagged rocks waiting to break his fall and her startled whisper. He had never seen someone move so fast in his life. She had been across the clearing before he could even blink.

He shook his head and willed the roaring in his ears to calm. A wave of satisfaction washed over him. He wallowed in victory for a long moment before examining the intruder. He blinked in shock when he stared into a startled pair of deep blue eyes unlike anything he had ever seen before in all his traveling.

The member of one of the universe's strongest races found himself helpless as he lost himself in the murky depths churning within this child's gaze. '_A child?'_ he thought in amazement and fought free from the hypnotic hold to finally study the intruder.

She had golden hair, translucent skin that seemed to glow beneath the sunlight, and a tail. '_A tail?'_ "Brat? You're a Saiyajin?" he asked in astonishment. There was no possible way.

She seemed startled by his voice and blinked up at him in confusion. It didn't take a genius to conclude that she couldn't understand him. '_Of course this couldn't be easy,'_ he thought as he rolled off of her and pulled her to her feet.

With a sigh, he studied her petite form and felt like laughing. '_Oh, this is rich. A wee brat causing all this trouble…'_ He pounded his chest and said, "Bardock," in a sharp, crisp tone. They might as well introduce themselves. He pointed to her and waited.

Her head came up and the blue eyes reflected intellect as she quickly grasped his meaning. "Ba-ar-dock," she spoke his name carefully and looked at him for approval. He nodded once and pointed at her again.

She touched her chest and spoke, "Usagi." She wasn't sure why this Saiyajin looked so much like her little brighter, but he seemed like he was trying to communicate and not blast her into oblivion, so she was okay.

"U-us-agi," he stumbled over her name and spoke it again to be sure. She grinned up at him which caused him to blink in surprise. '_Who is this brat?'

* * *

_

Bardock walked to the rendezvous point with the girl held awkwardly in his arms; he had rarely held children before. The rhythmic crunching of the forest underbrush echoed in his ears, reassuring him that the world hadn't come to an end…again. He shifted the child to one arm and with the other hand whistled shrilly.

Usagi winced from the sound and tightened her grip around the Goten-look-alike. Immediately, three other people descended from the sky. There were two men, each with bulging muscles and towering heights, and one woman who, while shorter than the men by about a foot, was still taller than six feet and was very toned.

"What's with the brat?" the Saiyajin with a mustache asked before landing.

Bardock chuckled, "Would you believe she's our culprit?"

"No way!" they exclaimed.

Tora, Bardock's second in command and best friend, studied the child. "She's a little bit of a thing." He eyed her petite form huddled against his captain's chest.

The only girl of the group interrupted, "Are you saying that this little brat is the one that had the whole Saiyajin army running in circles?"

"It seems so," Bardock answered patiently.

Fausha's smile tilted up, "And a female too. Imagine that." She jabbed her mustached companion in the ribs. "This just proves my point that females rule."

"Really?" Tora clicked his scouter. "Is that why her power level isn't anything special?"

Bardock snorted drawing attention, "Have you forgotten, Tora, that our power levels at her age were non-existent too? And look at how good we turned out." They all shared a laugh.

Meanwhile, Usagi had her face buried in her captor's neck. She could hear the Saiyajins talking but couldn't understand a word of their language. The string of grunts and growls made everything they said sound angry. '_Bardock…'_ Usagi remembered that's what he said his name was. '_Bardock…'_ She kept running the name through her head. '_Why does he look like Goten?'_ The sudden bark of what sounded like laughter made her jump.

Bardock felt her jerk and frowned.

"Yo, brat, what's your name?" Tora called out, curiously. He had never seen anyone with that much hair that was quite that color.

Bardock shook his head, "I already realized that she doesn't understand a word we say, much less speak our language. Her name's Usoga, though." A giggle interrupted his train of thought. Saiyajins never giggled. He looked down and into the sparkling blue eyes of the child. Saiyajins didn't have blue eyes and blond hair either. He had a feeling that she was something special, even if her power level was only average. Time would tell.

Usagi found it amusing that this tough, scruffy Saiyajin warrior stumbled over her name. She shook her head at him. He looked so confused. '_Just like Goten!'_ Her eyes dimmed slightly as she remembered her younger brother's tear-stained face. '_I did the right thing.' _Her mental reassurance did nothing to stop the kernel of doubt lodged in her mind.

Bardock watched in silent wonder as each emotion she experienced passed through her eyes. No one could be so unguarded. Not if they hoped to live long, anyway.

"U-sa-gi."

Bardock repeated slowly, "U-sa-gi."

She nodded and smiled. They didn't have to know the same language to understand each other. He pointed to each of his crew, "Tora, Fausha, Orgos."

The woman's outfit caught Usagi's attention. It was Saiyajin armor girl style including pink spandex shorts. She tugged on Bardock's armored tank top and pointed at Fausha. "Do girls really get to wear armor? I'm going to kill Veggie for not telling me!" She looked up in to the confused eyes of her captor. When he didn't answer right away, she realized she had just spoken in her language; he didn't understand a word she said.

"Err…heh…I forgot …sorry." Then, she realized he wouldn't understand her apology. She slapped her forehead and shook her head before falling silent.

Fausha looked at her captain. "What'd she say?"

He shrugged.

Tora looked at the child's bowed head strangely. "She certainly is a weird one. Maybe we should kill her and put her out of her misery," he suggested eagerly. Orgos grunted in agreement and stepped forward.

Fausha rolled her eyes. "You can't kill her. She's a Saiyajin. Only the King can order the death of one of our own. You know that."

Tora frowned in thought. "We could just toss her around and bloody her a bit, something tells me she can scream with the best of them," he offered hopefully, like a child begging for his first fighting lesson.

Orgos scowled at Fausha. "Mercy. Sympathy. Hah! Just what you'd expect from a _female,_" he spat the word as if it were an insult, which it was to most Saiyajins.

Bardock growled. "Since I'm the only one in this group with a brain and the commanding officer, I decide what we're going to do."

"But, I think – " Tora protested, knowing that they wouldn't be beating anyone to smithereens.

"Tora," Bardock calmly addressed his second in command, "have I ever asked you to think?"

Tora shifted his feet. "No," he mumbled.

Bardock grinned evilly. "Then do us all a favor and don't." Fausha snickered in the background, momentarily content after bloodying Orgos's nose and watching the second in command's chastisement. Bardock shot her a glare before continuing, "According to the King's orders, the invader should be captured – unharmed if possible – and brought to the palace for questioning."

"—You mean torture," Tora interrupted cheerfully.

"We should contact the general and have the search called off." The comment was accompanied by a small smirk that had a cruel twist to it.

Orgos laughed, "I wish we could see his face when he realized that a team of 'low level' soldiers succeeded where his elites failed."

Usagi relaxed when they started laughing again. She had been sure they were angry with her for not knowing their language. Sighing into Bardock's neck, she snuggled closer and closed her eyes. It had been a long day.

* * *

King Vegeta watched with amusement as his top advisors and military generals bickered over the origin and purpose of their speedy 'visitor'. He rolled his eyes. '_They're just like a bunch of old women!'_

" – I say that we should immediately kill him after questioning. A good torture session would do wonders in sending a message to his superiors," shouted one general.

"I still maintain that if we blast away his appendages one at a time, he'll confess more information and have no chance of escape."

"No! We should cut off his feet and fry them. That way he can never outrun one of our soldiers again. Our warriors' honor must be avenged!" the old man pounded his fist on the table causing it to rattle.

A commander in the corner snorted sardonically, "Sit down old man, everyone here knows that you just like to eat people's feet."

Everyone turned to the general, waiting for his answer. The haggard Saiyajin leaned back in his chair with a dreamy smirk on his face. "They are quite tasty."

King Vegeta rolled his eyes in annoyance. This was supposed to be a meeting of the greatest strategic minds on the planet, and here they were discussing feet. Everyone knew that the most succulent part of a humanoid was the liver. A messenger's entrance swayed his attention. The average soldier spoke in a quiet, hurried tone with the commander of the lower level soldiers, who had remained inconspicuous in his corner until now.

"Silence!" The bickering and whining immediately stopped. Being king had its perks. "What message have you received Commander Celeric?"

The burly, bushy-bearded Saiyajin stood and bowed to his king. "Your majesty, the culprit has been apprehended." Whispers and gasps broke out among the generals and soldiers.

"Does he have feet?" came the cry of the old general.

"Enough!" the King shot a ki blast at the Saiyajin and watched with satisfaction as he became imbedded into the far wall. "Do not interrupt me again." Silence was his only answer. He smirked with satisfaction before returning his attention to the commander of the low-level soldiers. "Who accomplished this feat?"

"Bardock and his crew, your majesty." The whispers grew louder.

It wasn't the name of this captain that peeked the king's interest; it was the way the commander announced the Saiyajin's name – with a mixture of pride and a sense of casualness implying that this man, this Bardock, was someone different. This was even more unusual coming from someone who was known to be a harsh judge of people. "Who is this Bardock?"

His head general stood in a rush, "He's just a low-level, sire, a mere third class warrior."

Celeric glared, "And a damn good fighter!"

The king turned to his top advisor. "Explain."

"Y-Yes, your majesty. Bardock is a third class warrior who has accomplished many victories some of which people believe not even Freiza's elites could have walked away from. He is considered wise by many and invented the artificial moonlight technique."

The king lifted an eyebrow in surprise. This was interesting.

The advisor continued. "The doctors want him to be retested. Some believe in a few years he could very well be your greatest fighter."

"A low level!" one general stood in outrage. "Nappa is the king's best fighter! He was one of the four that initially survived the Explosion."

"That reminds me." The king returned his attention to his advisor. "One of Bardock's sons…Kakarot – I believe it is – is still alive."

King Vegeta sat back in his chair thinking of this new information. After Frieza destroyed Vegeta-sei and they were all sent – including their planet – into the afterlife, he issued a census to determine the number of Saiyajins still living. Over time Raditz, one of the four and Bardock's older son, and later Nappa, his 'greatest fighter', were killed and sent here. They each brought news of the living world and of Freiza's victories. Only two Saiyajins were left: his son Prince Vegeta and this third class warrior's youngest Kakarot.

"Interesting." Silence reigned as each officer awaited the king's opinion. "I wish to meet this Bardock and his crew when they bring in our 'visitor'."

"But, your majesty –"

"Enough! Saiyajins don't whine," he barked out and glared at the protesting officer. No one dared to question his authority and expect to live.

The general stood and quickly bowed low, "Forgive me, sire."

* * *

Bardock and his crew touched down at the palace entrance a few minutes after reporting the capture. According to procedure, they were to hand over the captive to the elite soldiers before continuing on with their duties. The only problem was that Bardock couldn't wake Usagi up.

"Come on, brat. Wake up!" Usagi only cuddled closer. "Annoying little piece of…"

Fausha laughed, "Never wake females from their beauty sleep."

"Yeah, they need it," Orgos grumbled.

"Why don't you help instead of teasing her," Tora shoved him in the gut. "Until we wake her up, we won't be able to get back to work."

"Bah!" Orgos barged in, "Yes, we hand her over to the elites and let them get all the credit. They sit on their asses all day while we slave away doing all of the real work. Speaking of the devils…" he nodded to the group of men – their armor glistening pristinely – strutting towards them, Nappa in the lead.

For some inexplicable reason, Bardock tightened his hold on the girl.

"We heard that you captured the intruder. That must have been by some small stroke of luck on your part. But, don't let this little victory go to your beady little heads, you're all still puny in comparison to our power," the bald man sneered at who he considered was beneath him even acknowledging.

Bardock growled. They all tensed, ready to spring at the least provocation, even though they had no hope of winning. Their Saiyajin blood hummed in anticipation.

"Well?" Nappa continued, "Where is he!"

Fausha rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Of course they would automatically assume anyone with power is male."

Nappa glared, his hate for female fighters rushing forward. "Shut up, bitch. I say it because it's true. We are ruled by a male, are we not? Frieza was a male – "

"– One that acted like a girl," she muttered.

"Enough!" Bardock bellowed. He was not in the mood to fight with the elites. "The two of you are acting like brats."

Nappa sneered, "You dare to speak to me with such a tone, low level? I am a superior fighter."

"No, merely a higher ranking one."/1/ Bardock's crew struggled to keep from laughing.

Nappa still hadn't comprehended the insult when a palace messenger rushed onto the scene a few minutes later. The soldier eyed the elites uneasily before stepping in between the two groups.

"Bardock," he began casually before changing his mind. He bowed, much to everyone's surprise, and said in a formal tone, "Captain Bardock, his majesty has demanded your attendance and that of your crew in the presentation of your captive."

Silence swept across the two groups. The king had never personally summoned a low level crew before.

"That's absurd!" Nappa shouted, breaking the silence. "His majesty would never wish to speak to this trash! Your beady little mind must have forgotten the real message."

The soldier glared, "Your preference to disobey the king's direct order is irrelevant, _sir_." Turning away from the sputtering elites, he inclined his head respectfully before heading back to the palace. "Captain Bardock?"

After walking in silence for five minutes, Bardock finally spoke his unease. "Why is he being so damned respectful with all of this 'Captain' shit? We are equals!"

Tora grinned, "You're a standout among us lower warriors. You put most of those elites to shame!"

Fausha broke in, "I say it's about time for some recognition from the generals. You've earned it, _Captain_."

"Yo, Carn!" Orgos called to their guide. "Do you know why we're being summoned? I don't know about you guys," he addressed his teammates, "but I don't want to get my hopes up just yet. For all we know, we could be walking to our deaths."

"We're already dead, you idiot." Fausha rolled her eyes.

He growled in answer.

The messenger stepped forward before a fight could break out. "The rumor is Commander Celeric had a fight with the generals when they found out that it was your team who succeeded. The head advisor explained who you were, and the king asked to see you," he paused and looked around. "By the way, where is your captive?"

At that reminder, Bardock groaned. "The first time we meet the king, we present him with a wee brat."

Carn's eyes widened, "Are you saying this girl was the intruder?"

Fausha growled, "Do you have a problem with girl brats?"

He gulped, "N-No, it's just that it might be difficult convincing his majesty that's all."

Tora shrugged absently, "That's easy enough. Just make her run, and he'll see for himself."

"Are we forgetting that she has to be awake to run?" Bardock droned bringing back to their original problem. "Come on. Wake up!" he shook her roughly, to no avail.

A few minutes later the five Saiyajins found themselves facing a huge set of doors leading into the throne room. No low-level crew had ever stepped through those doors to converse with their merciless ruler.

The two guards grinned at the group. "Congratulations, Bardock."

"Hold!" Nappa's booming voice steadied the guards as he strode purposefully into view. "There is no way I'm letting you four get all the credit; besides, it's my duty to present captives."

"The king did not ask for your attendance," Carn reminded through clinched teeth.

"That's irrelevant. You are dismissed, weakling." Nappa waved his hand with his head turned away in rejection, not even stooping so low as to look at the third-class warrior. Everyone watched as Carn stiffly walked away.

"Stuck up, self-centered, spoiled –"

"Did you say something?" Nappa interrupted Orgo's muttering.

"Nothing that wasn't true."

* * *

King Vegeta struggled to hold his patience with the stuttering idiot kneeling before him. "Your majesty," his advisor whispered, "Bardock and his team are here."

Vegeta nodded, "Bring them forth." He turned to the pale-faced messenger who was currently reporting to his feet. "You are dismissed." His gruff growl had the Karthian servant sprinting to the door.

"Despicable," his head general muttered. King Vegeta knew that his general would kill the weakling later, or at least attempt to beat some backbone into him.

The king reclined in a throne that was atop a platform. On each step leading to this platform stood the top officials of his army and his advisors in ascending order of rank. On the lower plain a handful of palace guards, record keepers, servants, and messengers mingled.

The servant at the door announced the new arrivals, "Presenting Captain Bardock and his crew to his majesty."

Much to everyone's surprise Nappa appeared in the doorway first. The king motioned to his advisor. "Explain to me why Nappa is present when I did not summon him."

"Well…er… sire, the task of presenting prisoners usually belongs to the elites. Nappa must believe he is doing his duty by being present."

"Hmmm…" King Vegeta dismissed Nappa's presence from his mind before studying the new arrivals kneeling before him properly showing a mixture of fear and respect. The slumbering child held by the captain seized his attention. Her long, golden tresses brushed along the marble floor. A motion swayed his attention from the unusually colored hair to something around the girl's waist. A tail!

"Rise, Bardock, and explain the presence of the bizarre Saiyajin brat you hold; and where is the intruder?"

Bardock, contradicting custom, returned his king's scrutinizing stare. Whispers swept through the room faster than wildfire.

"You dare to look your king in the eyes as if you are his equal, low level," the general of the elite forces bellowed in outrage and took a threatening step forward.

"General," Vegeta interrupted, "I did not give you permission to speak."

"Forgive me, sire."

"The brat," Bardock began, "is the intruder."

The whispers became gasps. Commander Celeric raised an eyebrow but kept quiet; he knew when to be patient. Apparently, the general did not know that patience was a virtue when he jumped to his feet and roared, "You dare to make a mockery of his majesty by telling such an obvious lie!"

Bardock sighed. He knew this was going to be difficult. "No, sir. This is the first time any lower level fighter has been summoned to speak with his majesty; therefore, why would I fuck this up by lying!" he questioned with impatient reason. Bardock looked down when he felt Usagi stir. He rolled his eyes. After all of the yelling, she continued to sleep.

"Bring me the brat."

Nappa stepped forward to do the king's bidding. Unfortunately, Usagi's eyes opened just as he reached for her. Everyone watched the little girl shrink away from the advancing hand before vanishing. Nappa stopped, "Wha?"

Bardock blinked and stared at his empty hands in surprise. A small tug at his boot brought his attention to the confused eyes peering up at him from behind his legs.

Vegeta's eyes widened. He had never seen someone, much less a child, move so fast.

Usagi could feel everyone's gazes on her. She looked up at Bardock in panicked confusion.

"Well?" the king was getting impatient.

Usagi wrapped her arms around Bardock's leg as the big bald guy from before approached. Confusion wouldn't begin to describe how she felt. One moment she was in a forest with a man that looked like her little brother and the next thing she knew there was a very scary looking bald man reaching for her. Today just wasn't her day.

She chanced a look behind her and found the three people from before. Beyond them were two doors. Before she could make a run for it, she was grabbed by the arm and hauled from her safe haven. She looked back at Bardock and saw a shrouded sympathy in his eyes. Somehow she didn't think that was a good sign. The big guy stopped dragging her when they reached the base of the steps.

Vegeta leaned forward and studied the small child. Her mane of golden hair poured unhindered all the way to the floor. Her skin lacked the natural tan all Saiyajins processed and looked almost translucent. She was very petite, fragile, and looked so tiny next to an averaged-sized Saiyajin male. He watched as she rubbed the lingering sleep from her eyes. Then, she looked him straight in the eyes and he was lost.

'_Blue.'_ Her mesmerizing blue crystal for eyes looked first at him with wide-eyed innocence, then shock, and finally confusion. He marveled at how every emotion she experienced was there for all to see.

Bardock grinned when he recognized the king's expression. He had felt the same way the first time he saw her eyes. Commanders and generals alike watched as the king became locked within the child's gaze. Whispers broke out again. Bardock frowned when he heard some accuse the brat of being a sorceress sent to cast a spell on their king.

"Veggie?" Usagi whispered. Vegeta raised an eyebrow.

"Kneel before the king, brat," Nappa commanded. Usagi looked back at Bardock in confusion.

"I said kneel!"

'_This is just great,'_ Usagi thought. Not only did she just meet a Veggie-look-alike except this one had brown hair and a beard, but also the scary guy was screaming at her and squeezing her arm really hard. She squirmed trying to relieve some of the pain, but he only tightened his grip that much more. "Well, brat? Are you an idiot? Kneel!"

The servants, soldiers, and record keepers all stopped to watch the test of wills. Everyone waited for the child's decision. Would she continue to defy their king and die, or would she submit? They did not expect, however, to hear a loud crunch followed by a high pitched staccato mewling that was silenced as fast as it came.

Usagi gasped when she felt the bones in her forearm give way to the unbearable pressure. She bit her lip in an attempt to suppress her desire to curl up and whimper and weep until she lost consciousness and sunk into the oblivious sea of lavender stars and blue daffodils. Like many times before, she bottled in the pain and shoved it to the very back of her mind. The tears of agony that prickled the edges of her vision were quickly blinked away as she concluded that this was her punishment for forgetting all of her mother's rules. Just because she was dead didn't mean she was free. With one final shove at the last of her pain she returned her gaze to the scary Saiyajin's boots.

Nappa looked down in surprise at the bent little arm dwarfed by his meaty hand. He hadn't squeezed that hard, he thought while shrugging.

Bardock clinched his fist to keep from charging at the elite soldier. He didn't know what disgusting him more the fact that Nappa just broke a little girl's arm and didn't care or that it was this idiot who was considered the king's 'greatest fighter'. Sure, he had killed children before on his 'cleansing' missions but never a Saiyajin child. Only parents had the right to beat their children, everyone else obeyed the unspoken rule to ensure the survival of their species. Apparently, Nappa believed he was above such a sacred law. Everyone watched and even after her arm was broken she refused to obey.

"Kneel, brat!" Nappa's patience, as little as it was, was spent. He raised a hand and struck her across the face. His hand became a closed fist and blood arched. Again and again he hit until finally she grew limp. He let go of her mangled arm and watched with some satisfaction as she toppled to the ground. He raised his foot and landed a few good, solid kicks before he was suddenly airborne. The elite soldier crashed headfirst into the far wall a moment later.

Bardock stood where Nappa had once been with his elbow still extended. He spared the child a glance and, after he was assured of her breathing, bowed to his king. "May I speak your majesty?"

The king raised an eyebrow. "Do you know the punishment for challenging a superior soldier?"

"I do, sire."

King Vegeta studied the man's prostrate figure in silence, wondering why a third-class warrior – the weakest of their noble race – would directly challenge someone he had no hope of beating. "And yet you still hit Nappa," he studied the bowing soldier. It was obvious that the soldier was trying to show bravado and guts to improve his impression of the lower class. King Vegeta found his perception intriguing, "Very well, for that I will allow you to interrupt. I was interested in seeing how much more the brat would take before submitting."

"She would have died."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You sound so sure."

Bardock sighed, "The reason she did not kneel is because she doesn't understand."

"Understand what?" the King asked, growing impatient with the foreplay.

"Our language. She can't speak it or understand it. By some basic communication, I determined her name is Usagi."

King Vegeta leaned back in his chair and gazed at the bloody child. "Prove it."

Bardock blinked. '_Great. How and the hell am I supposed to do that?'_ Just when he was starting to panic, he was saved. Tora stepped forward and bowed to the king.

"I have heard the brat speak in an unfamiliar foreign tongue."

Fausha stepped up beside her teammate and bowed. "As have I."

"And I," Orgos finished with a bow. Bardock could barely contain his relief. '_I owe you guys big time,'_ he thought.

The king grunted in satisfaction. "The loyalty of your crew is admirable, Captain Bardock; there are not many in command who could claim the same," he paused in thought. "Very well, I believe you." The lower levels shared a sigh of relief. "If what you say is indeed the truth, then this problem needs to be solved." He motioned to a servant, "Send for a translator device."

"Your majesty, if I may –"

The king raised an eyebrow the captain. '_This low level certainly has courage if he dares to interrupt me.'_ "Yes?"

"A translator will not work with this brat. She is too small, too young, and her dialect is unknown."

"Oh? You have thought about this then? Why?"

"I have," he paused and examined his own feelings about why finding out what she has to say was so important to him. "She's different," Bardock finally concluded, finding it hard to express his feelings.

The king considered him for a moment and nodded in agreement. "That she is. Do you have a better idea then?"

"No, sire."

He pondered for a moment. "You are a scientist, are you not?"

Bardock shifted his feet. Not that he would ever admit it, but he was sensitive about his work. "When the mood strikes me."

"Then let it strike you now and invent a new translator for the brat."

Before Bardock could reply, a soft moan turned his attention. Everyone watched the bloody child struggle to use one arm to push herself to her knees. With slow, steady movements, she climbed to her feet. Usagi closed her eyes when the room started to spin. Stumbling, tripping over her own feet, she slowly made her way to the man with her little brother's face. '_Almost there. Just a few more steps,'_ she chanted in her head.

"Bardock?" her voice wavered. Silence reigned as everyone strained to hear what the child said. If she spoke in a different language then it would prove the Captain's honesty, if not then he and his whole crew would be executed for lying to the crown.

"I want to go home."

* * *

AN: Tell me what you think. Usagi needs to grow a backbone, and I can think of no better place than among the Saiyajins. The next few chapters are going to deal with her adventures on her ancestrial planet. Ya'll are going to have to wait to find out Trunks' reaction to her self-sacrificing death. I know, I know, I'm evil. Review!

/1/ - that is a line from 'Down Periscope' that I found very fitting.


	14. Pinky Swear

Chapter 13

Relief unlike any other swept though Bardock for the second time that day. He couldn't take much more of these suspenseful situations. She spoke in whatever-the-hell-her-language-was-called, and he didn't think he had ever heard sweeter words. Usagi stared at his happy face before the darkness prickling at the corners of her vision swept through like a title wave. Bardock scooped the child into his arms before she hit the ground.

"Stupid brat, why didn't you dodge?" His question went unanswered as he settled her in his arms. He was getting the hang of this holding thing. A bellow of fury shook the palace walls taking everyone by surprise. It seemed Nappa just woke up from his little nap.

"You little – little _low level_. When I get my hands on you, I'll tear you limb from limb. You'll beg me for mercy like the simpering little girl that you are!"

Fausha growled.

Bardock watched with his usual calm mien as the giant charged at him with bloody murder written in his eyes.

"That's enough, Nappa!" the king shouted. The elite ignored the order and continued to charge forward. King Vegeta growled deep in his throat before blasting out of his chair.

Bardock blinked in surprise as the king appeared in front of him and backhanded Nappa into the far wall. The elite surged to his feet, intending to continue what he had started but skidded to a halt when he noticed his king standing before him instead of the third-class captain.

"You have insulted me for the last time. Not only did you invite yourself to this meeting, hurt the brat without my ordering you, injure my royal ears with all of your bellowing; but now you have the audacity to disobey a direct order!" Spittle soared, testifying to his rage.

"But, your majesty, he –"

"–Now you question my orders, speak without permission, and address me with insolence!"

"I didn't –"

"_Silence_!" No one dared to breathe. "I am your king, and I will be obeyed. I have run out of patience in dealing with your stupidity." He held out his hand and formed a blue energy blast.

Nappa's eyes widened. "No, please your –"

"Saiyajins don't beg." He released the blast and watched with satisfaction as Nappa was slammed into the far wall for the third time that hour. He turned his back to the screams and climbed the steps to his throne. The same moment he seated himself, Nappa collapsed in a charred, bloody heap on the floor. He settled deeper in his throne and let a ruthless smirk chisel across the hard planes of his face. "I feel much better," he announced to himself.

Bardock gained a new level of respect for his king. He had heard the countless tales of his majesty's short temper, but that was very impressive. It also didn't hurt that such an expedient punishment was carried out on his least favorite person.

King Vegeta motioned to a servant. "Have '_it_'," he glanced at the smoking lump next to the wall, "and the girl sent to Recovery; I don't want them bleeding on my floor." The servant bowed before collecting Usagi and rushing to the infirmary intending on sending someone else to collect Nappa.

Vegeta turned back to Bardock. "Now, will you accept the task of building the translator?" he continued as if nothing had ever happened.

The captain bowed, "I will, sire."

"Good. You will stay in the palace for the duration of this invention's construction and in the time it takes the medical personnel to retest your fighting rank." Bardock was surprised by the latter bit of news but didn't interrupt. "For showing such loyalty, your crew will spend these days free from all of their duties. All of this will begin immediately."

Bardock bowed, "As you wish, sire, but what of the brat?"

The king thought for a moment. "She will also stay in the palace until after I have questioned her to my satisfaction. Who she stays with after that, I leave for the blood tests to decide. Dismissed." The lower levels bowed low before leaving the throne room with smirks on their faces.

As soon as the double doors closed Fausha gave Orgos a disbelieving look. "You thought we may be," she deepened her voice, "'_walking to our deaths'_ and instead we come out with a vacation." She laughed.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

Tora left the pair to bicker and walked next to his best friend. "It sucks that you have to work while we have fun."

Bardock smirked, "That's why I'm going to make that thing as fast as I can. There's no way I'm letting you bums enjoy yourselves for long." Tora's barking laugh echoed across the hall.

* * *

"Dr. Malaca, why is the brat's healing taking so long? Her injuries should have been taken care of in three hours at the most, not three days," King Vegeta addressed the elderly Saiyajin doctor.

"The girl's case is very unusual, your majesty. After doing extensive blood tests, we found that she is only half Saiyajin; therefore, the rejuvenation tank will only halfway repair the damage. Since we lack the proper knowledge of the species that makes up her other half, every precaution is being taken. We estimate that she will awaken within the day."

The king motioned for his advisor. "What is Bardock's progress on the translation device?"

"He completed it this morning, milord."

Vegeta was pleasantly surprised. "Already?"

"I was shocked as well. It appears he didn't want his crew to have too much fun without him."

Vegeta smirked, "And does the device work?

The advisor shrugged, "That remains to be seen, milord."

"Very well," the king returned his attention to the doctor. "When the brat awakens, inform the guards and have her escorted to me for questioning."

The elder man bowed, "As you wish, majesty."

* * *

Beep. . . Beep. . . Beep. . .

Usagi gritted her teeth when she became aware of the annoying sound echoing in her ears. The continuous noise – although it sounded murky, uneven, and from a distance – enhanced the throbbing ache in her head. As feeling slowly returned to her body, she recognized the familiar chill of metal on her arms, legs, chest, and head.

Floating. She felt as if she were floating through a kingdom of clouds on a warm, breezy morning where nothing could touch her. There were no worries here, no regrets, and no pain. There was only her, the clouds, and that damned beeping.

"I think she's coming out of it, Malaca."

"Good. Drain the liquid." Usagi heard strange grunts and growls before suddenly feeling heavy.

"Remember, Planthor, she doesn't understand our language."

The pain in her head lessened, but now she felt cold. Shivering, she forced her eyes open when a towel was dropped around her shoulders and nearly screamed when she saw a strange, yellow-polka dotted, green lizard creature. She stepped from the machine and took a few hasty steps away from the reptile. She didn't find him overly strange because she knew Piccolo and he had green skin, but that still wasn't something you wanted to see first thing in the morning.

A white door sparkled in the distance. Should she run for it? An old man motioned to a table where several articles of clothing were folded neatly. '_Oh yeah_,' she thought while gripping the towel tighter. She couldn't travel inconspicuously wearing only a towel. Slowly, she edged her way to the table, keeping a cautious eye on where the two men were standing.

Malaca, the older Saiyajin, nodded to Planthor, his lizard-like assistant, who nodded in return. They had to contact the guards now.

Usagi quickly dressed and toweled dry her hair. She was debating if hairpins were really worth the trouble it would take to ask for when the white door opened and a group of big, hairy, stone-faced Saiyajins walked in. They quickly formed a circle around her.

"By order of the king, you are to come with us, brat."

Malaca stepped forward, "She doesn't understand you."

"Huh?" the guards looked at each other. "Why not?"

Commander Celeric swept into the room in time to hear the conversation. "This is the child that was brought in by Bardock and his team a few days ago."

"Oh yeah, I remember hearing about that."

"Well," Malaca continued after nodding to the commander, "She seems a little skittish, so don't do anything sudden. We don't want to have to catch her again."

The guards laughed, "Don't worry."

The commander studied the child's bowed head. "How can this wee bit of a thing be so fast?"

"Honestly," the doctor said while washing his hands, "I don't know. If I could just…"

From beneath hooded eyes Usagi watched the men converse. Since they were preoccupied, she might be able to slip out unnoticed. She needed to find Bardock. Closing her eyes, she reached out her senses searching for his ki just like Vegeta had taught her.

The soldiers stopped all conversation when their eye pieces began to beep.

"What is it?" Malaca asked.

"The brat's ki just rose a little."

'_Found him_,' she thought with triumph. He wasn't too far away. She was about to retract her senses when she felt one of the planet's strongest kis heading in her direction. The soldiers watched in confusion as the girl's head snapped around to the door. She seemed to be waiting for something. They looked at the door and then back at her.

"Okay. I think she's lost it," one of the soldiers mumbled.

Another one chuckled, "Hey doc, are you sure you didn't poke her too hard?" They laughed.

The commander and the doctor watched the child as she slid off the table and began to back away from the door. It suddenly opened, and in barged Nappa looking like a crazed animal.

"Amazing," Malaca breathed. "I think she knew he was coming."

"But, how could she without a scouter?" Celeric asked.

"I believe this girl holds many secrets," the doctor mumbled mysteriously.

"Where is the little shit head!" Nappa demanded while looking around frantically. "I heard she woke up. When I get my hands on her I'm going to – "

"You will do nothing! The king did not wait three days for this brat to heal just so you could kill her," the commander stepped forward successfully blocking the child from view. It was understandable that Nappa would be mad, but he had no one to blame but himself. Everyone had heard of the punishment the elite suffered at the hands of their king.

"You dare to talk back to me!"

"I will do more than that if you interfere with the king's wishes."

Nappa snarled, "Get out of my way!"

Usagi had had enough of the screaming. For all she knew, they could be debating over who was going to kill her. The other soldiers seemed engrossed in their arguement. After taking a deep breath, she bolted for the door.

"Commander Celeric, quick! The door!" But it was too late. The speedy blur was already down the hall.

"Damn, she's fast," a soldier nodded approvingly.

"Shit," Celeric rubbed his forehead. "I knew this was going to be a long day. I knew it."

"Get back here you little brat!" Nappa shouted before blasting after her.

"There's no way he's going to catch her," Malaca commented.

"That's what we're here for. Where's she headed?"

A soldier pushed the button on his scouter a few times. "Due East into town."

"Well, let's go get her."

* * *

Usagi zipped past the bug-shaped white skyscrapers. "Okay, he was in this area somewhere," she mumbled to herself. She glanced behind her at the glowing dot in the distance. "Great, he's gaining." Fear helped to heighten her senses. "There!"

She touched down at the building with a lot of flashing lights and strange markings that looked like writing. Many men and a few women were coming and going. She debated going in. A deafening bellow in the distance provided enough initiative for her to run.

* * *

"Commander, the brat stopped," a soldier reported. Their team was weaving through the buildings at top speed. Hopefully they would intercept Nappa before he damaged her too much.

"Where at?"

The soldier chuckled, "Brussel's Bar."

"What!"

Another soldier flew up to them. "Maybe she was thirsty after all that flying. She's so far ahead of us; she could probably have a beer or two before continuing on her merry way."

The comment was said in jest, but everyone worried. Brussel's Bar was a place opened to all level fighters. With the barely contained tension between the levels and a bountiful supply of booze, one could imagine the kind of fights that break out there on a daily basis.

"Let's hurry."

* * *

As soon as Usagi crossed the threshold a foul stench invaded her senses. She wrinkled her nose in distaste. It was dark inside because there were no widows. She frowned when she noticed that slight. Many tables were strewed randomly across the room. A bar with a dozen and a half stools was placed in the center of the room.

People, mostly men, filled every available seat. Words were flying through the air in shouts along with glasses and a few fists. She gulped. That wasn't the worst part. Everyone towered over her.

"Don't I feel small," she commented.

"What the hell are you doing in here brat? You know the rules. No brats allowed!"

She gulped when the middle-aged man behind the bar started screaming at her. This was not good.

* * *

Bardock absently twirled a small device on the table with his fingers, deep in thought. Tora downed his third drink in one gulp and belched loudly. "That hits the spot." Orgos grunted in agreement as he guzzled down his own jar.

"The two of you are disgusting pigs," Fausha commented while sipping the heated liquid in her cup.

"Oh lighten up, will you? Must you continue to nag even when we're on vacation?"

She grinned, "When you stop acting like a dog, I'll stop treating you like one."

He jumped to his feet. "Why you –"

"Heel, bitch, heel!" she baited with a grin.

"Knock it off you two. Our great leader isn't in the mood to scrape your guts off the floor," Tora reprimanded.

Orgos turned his chair and straddled it. "Yeah, what's with you, Bardock? You're not your usual obnoxious self."

"Just thinking."

Fausha raised an eyebrow when their captain refused to rise to the bait.

"That's your problem; you think too much!" Tora shouted as he pounded his friend on the back in an attempt at cheer. It wasn't working. Fausha's female intuition forced her to note the dark circles under his eyes, evidence of a few sleepless nights. They all knew he busted his butt to get that translator fixed as fast as possible, but there was something else keeping him awake at night.

"He's worried about something." Bardock stopped spinning his invention and glanced at her. "I'm right aren't I?" He didn't answer. "Of course I'm right! A female's always right."

Orgos snorted. "Here we go."

Tora waved them into silence. "What are you worried about?"

Bardock sighed. He might as well tell them if he wanted to be left alone. "The doctors got the result of that brat's blood test back yesterday."

"So?"

Fausha slapped Orgos across the head just as he went to drink. He started to choke and sputter. "Be a good doggy and don't interrupt."

"They said," Bardock continued, "that she's half Saiyajin and that we're related."

Tora raised an eyebrow. "You and the brat?"

He nodded, "And to top that off, she still hasn't woken up."

"So what does this mean?" Fausha questioned.

"It means I'm worried." He was about to say something when he heard the whisper from the next table.

"–brat's got golden hair."

_Golden hair?

* * *

_

Since Usagi couldn't explain her presence to the man, she opted to just ignore him. She narrowed her senses to this room and ran right.

"What the – " People stared as she rushed past.

Sighing with relief when she finally spotted a familiar haircut, she called out, "Bardock!"

The Saiyajin in question turned in time to catch the speedy child. "She's with you Bardock?" old Brussel called out from behind the bar.

"Yeah."

"You know the rules."

The young captain rolled his eyes. "Can it, you old goat." Many of the people listening in on the conversation cheered in agreement. He sat the girl down on the table.

"How'd the brat get here?"

Bardock gave Usagi a questioning look. She chewed her lip and pointed at the door. He glanced behind him in time to watch Nappa's grand entrance.

"Where the hell is the brat!" he demanded over the growls that greeted him. Many of the Saiyajins present hated him. Some of the curious people turned to glance at the golden-haired child. Nappa followed the turning heads. "When I get my hands on you, brat, you'll be squealing for your mommy, like the pig you are."

Bardock and his team stood as the elite began marching toward them. Just then, the door slammed open again. "Nappa, if you touch one hair on that brat's head, the king will roast your ass, again!"

People made way for the commander and his team of soldiers who were breathing heavily.

"What's all of this about, Celeric?" Brussel asked emerging from his side of the bar. The commander was a favored regular on his down time, so the bartender knew him well enough to address him informally.

"The brat's supposed to meet with the king; she bolted when Nappa started chasing her."

"The king?" people whispered.

Usagi looked at Nappa in fear which quickly turned to interest when she noticed the madly beeping device over his right eye. '_I've seen one of those before.'

* * *

_

_Flashback_

"What's that Trunks?" Usagi asked while slurping from her straw.

He sat down at the kitchen table and set the strange device in front of them. He shrugged, "I don't know. I found it in mom's lab. You want to take it apart and see how it works?"

Usagi stopped swinging her legs. "Won't she get mad?"

He shook his head. "Nah."

"Okay!"

_End Flashback

* * *

_

Bulma had walked in during the dismantling and told them that it belonged to Vegeta before he learned how to sense ki. '_So that's how he followed me.'_

Usagi jumped off the table and, much to the shock of everyone, charged Nappa.

"Die, you little brat!" he shouted before firing a ki blast at her.

She dodged.

He fired again and again. Everyone in the bar watched in shock as the blond brat began to blur as she effortlessly weaved her way between attacks still slowly moving forward. With a leap she landed on his bald head. '_Quick hands. Quick hands,'_ she thought to herself as she easily twisted the scouter free.

"You little –" Nappa swung a second too late and ended up hitting himself in the head. With a growl he spun around in time to see Usagi wave his scouter in the air like a red cape taunting a bull before she backed out the door.

"Come back here!" Nappa turned to the commander. "Give me your scouter, weakling. Hurry!"

Celeric grinned and crossed his arms. "Go get your own." People bit back their laughs, and those who couldn't snorted into their drinks.

"Out of my way!"

* * *

Not five minutes had passed since the girl left when she reappeared leaning against the door frame of the bar gasping for breath. Celeric and his team had joined Bardock and his crew at their table during the uneventful five minutes after Nappa's parting. Even though Celeric was elite and thus Bardock's superior, they often drank together and spoke of politics and recent missions.

The activity of the bar seemed to stop when people noticed the strange blond child blocking the door for the second time that day. Her presence seemed to touch the Saiyajins as none other had. The starlight shined unusually bright masking the child's face and turning her golden hair silver.

When Usagi's breathing finally returned to normal, she pushed away from the wall and slowly braved her way through the sea of curious stares to the one man she trusted on the whole planet.

Bardock watched in silence as the child approached, noting the way she kept her gaze on the ground and her head bowed. She finally stopped when she reached his chair. Everyone waited to see what she would do. However, they were not expecting her to jump into the third-class warrior's lap and bury her face in his chest.

The shocked, horror-stricken look on Bardock's face was enough to send the Saiyajin throng back to their drinks howling with laughter. Bardock, a soldier having slaughtered millions, seemed to fear one child's hug.

"B-Bardock, you should see your face," Fausha blurted through fits of laughter.

He rolled his eyes while trying to pry the child from him. Usagi proved to be stubborn and held tight. He finally gave up, not wanting to hurt her just to be free from the strange sensation of being hugged.

"The brat's smart," Celeric commented while gulping down his drink.

Fausha grinned, "Of course she is. All females are."

"Really?" he drowned on, angering her with his lack of interest.

"Let's get the brat's opinion," Bardock said while reaching for the hearing aid-looking device he had been twirling earlier. Still, Usagi refused to be moved. He found it greatly disturbing that when he reached for her she stiffened and backed away from his hand. Something had happened to her alright, and he needed to get this translator on her to figure out what.

'_Today hadn't been a good day,'_ Usagi thought. She wasn't in the mood to trust anyone. She buried her face in his chest, but otherwise showed no resistance as he tucked her ridiculously long locks behind her ear.

As if sensing his thoughts Orgos blurted out, "Yeah, what is with her hair? Since the hair Saiyajins are born with is what they'll always have, it must have been a pain in the ass for her mother to have to birth a brat and a fucking blanket of hair."

One of Celeric's men grunted in agreement. "It's all gold and straight. Without that tail of hers I'd have a hard time believing she's one of us."

"Half, actually," Tora corrected, "She's only half Saiyajin."

"No kidding?"

"At least she has hair," a bald member of Celeric's squad grumbled.

Everyone but Celeric laughed. "You don't think it will hurt too much to give birth to a long haired brat, do you?"

"That's right," Tora remembered, "Your mate's expecting, isn't she?"

The commander smirked proudly. Bardock, his tail twitching with anticipation, adjusted his invention to his satisfaction and motioned for silence. "Can you understand me, brat?"

Usagi jumped away from him; her eyes opened to wide to stare into his with shock.

Orgos laughed, "I'd day that's a yes."

Fausha elbowed him in the gut, "Shut up, dog, and let her speak."

Usagi blinked a few times trying to absorb everything happening around her. It felt odd to suddenly hear words where before there had only been grunts and growls. Bardock watched with patience and a great deal of satisfaction as she slowly looked around as if seeing the bar for the first time. Usagi could pick out bits and pieces from every conversation.

"And then she said –"

"– I win!"

"– more drink!"

"Give that back – "

"– owe me."

"– started it."

"Come back here!"

"Take this!"

"Why isn't she answering?" Tora asked.

"Think about it," Bardock explained. "In all this time, she simply blocked out everything because the words didn't make since. Then, suddenly, now, she understands; and everything she had ignored becomes noticed again all at once. I would think it's overwhelming."

Celeric studied the low class warrior thoughtfully, remembering the rumors of his immense wisdom. Bardock was indeed wise and very perceptive.

"Do you understand, brat?" he asked the child again.

Usagi broke away from the fragments of conversation and focused her big blue eyes straight into those of the Saiyajin whose lap she was sitting in. Bardock blinked in surprise when she suddenly smile at him and nodded.

"Good. Now, pay attention because I'm only going to say this once. That ear piece you are wearing not only translates what we say into your language, but it also contains a computer chip that subconsciously teaches you our tongue. So, in a matter of no more than a month you should be able to discard it completely. Because of this chip you are under no circumstances allowed to remove it without my permission," he stressed his last sentence and waited for her to nod in understanding before continuing. "It's waterproof, fireproof, ki proof, and, after taking your speed into consideration, pressure proof."

Tora whistled low, "Damn Bardock and it only took you three days to whip that thing up?"

Bardock grinned, "What can I say? I'm a fucking genius."

Celeric blinked in surprise. He was sure the king knew of Bardock's wisdom, but he couldn't wait to report of his intelligence.

"Don't take it off. Do you understand brat?"

Usagi nodded again. "Yes, sir."

Everyone at the table blinked. "Okay, so she understands us; but we still don't know what the hell she's saying," Orgos complained. Usagi giggled.

"Don't you think I know that idiot? Do you not know what faith and patience are?"

Fausha cheered, "Our great leader has returned to normal!" Celeric's team laughed at Bardock's nickname.

The captain pulled out another of his inventions, a huge, white Band-Aid looking thing. Usagi eyed it warily. He chuckled, "It doesn't bite. Let me just put it around your throat like this." Again, he fiddled with it for a moment and sat back. "This can withstand everything the earpiece can, but you can take it off when you sleep if you want."

"Well?" Fausha prompted.

One of Celeric's men shouted, "Say something brat!"

Usagi looked up at Bardock with a strange expression. '_I wish Trunks were here.'_ She could just see him saying, 'She doesn't have to talk to you weaklings' while pulling her behind him.

Bardock watched the many emotions pass through her eyes. He saw fear, then longing, and finally sadness. '_She's remembering something.'_

"Yo, brat, we know you can understand us," Tora pressed.

Bardock's sigh was strong enough to part a sea. He stood, scooping Usagi into his arms, an action he was becoming used to, before marching to a sparsely populated corner of the room.

"What'd he do that for?" Celeric asked.

"It kind of makes sense," Fausha paused to sip from her drink, "The brat's only tried to communicate with Bardock since we found her, and he can somehow understand what she wants with simply staring at her."

Celeric nodded beginning to understand, "And when she escaped the palace, she ran to him for protection."

Tora finished, "So it's only right she would want to speak to him first."

* * *

"Leave," Bardock ordered a few older teens from the corner booth. He sat Usagi down on the table next to a puddle of beer and waited. "Why didn't you want to talk in front of them?"

Usagi shrugged and studied the older version of her brother's face. She decided to take a chance and trust him. With a quick prayer to Kami that this man wouldn't be like her mother, she opened her mouth to begin, "I hate meeting new people; they always judge and make opinions before ever really knowing anything."

Bardock blinked in surprise. This girl was too cynical and too observant for someone her age. "That's not always true."

She looked at him skeptically before averting her gaze to the ripped, blood-stained cushion of the booth. "I heard what your friends said about my hair."

"My friends?" he paused for a moment. "Yeah, I guess they are my friends or as close to what a Saiyajin can have as friends. Sorry to disappoint you brat – it's Usagi right? – but you're going to be meeting a lot of new people." She sighed and nodded. "You don't talk much do you?"

"Not to people who aren't worth spending the effort."

He raised an eyebrow, "Did you just insult me?"

She blinked in surprise. "No." Her eyes grew wide with horror. "I'm sorry if it sounded like I did."

Bardock raised both eyebrows. '_Did she just apologize?_'

Usagi sighed and rubbed her arms in an attempt to ward off the cold. "I'm just scared of this place."

"Why?"

"Because Veggie says Saiyajins are mean, 'cause of that scary guy from before, and 'cause I've never been away from Trunks or Goten for this long."

Bardock rubbed his eyes and mentally groaned, since he didn't understand a word she just said. This was going to be a long conversation. "Okay, first, what scary guy from before?"

"The one I took the scouter from." '_Nappa? She feared Nappa? Well, duh, Bardock,'_ his mind argued,_ 'he did almost beat her to death.'_ Bardock watched her shudder. "He reminds me of my mom." '_Her mom?'_ He mentally stored that away for later.

"Oh, that's Nappa. He's not scary, just very stupid and very, very ugly." She giggled. "And there's that name again. Goten. Who's he? I remember you mentioned that before."

She grinned, "Goten's my little brother. You look just like him except for that scar." She reached out and traced the cross shaped mark on his cheek. He blinked in surprise. No one had ever touched him so casually like that before.

"So that's why you trusted me so easily?"

She nodded, "Where'd you get this?" she asked still looking at his scar.

"In a battle," he replied absently, his mind focusing on more important matters. "You were thinking about something right before I brought you over here."

"Trunks."

"And Trunks is…?" Bardock watched as her demeanor became brighter just at the mention of this person's name. Whoever he was she obviously cared about him a great deal.

Usagi started to swing her legs back and forth. "Trunks is my best friend in the whole universe. I've known him since I was I was ten minutes old." She giggled at Bardock's surprised expression. "He's super strong and threatens to beat up everybody except me, Bulma-san, and Veggie; and he could do it too. Everyone says he's got purple hair, but it's really lavender. And – "

"Lavender?" Bardock interrupted. He had difficulty imagining a kid with purple – no lavender – hair.

"Yep! And, well," Bardock watched as she became suddenly very serious and a little sad, "He's always there, you know? He's always been there to protect me and cheer me up. He's been my friend through everything. I owe him so much. Dieing wasn't enough."

Bardock had trouble figuring out the last sentence. "Dieing? You died because you owed him?"

She looked up, and he saw sad resignation. Her mouth twitched up into a humorless little smile that didn't belong on a child so young. "He was so sad, Bardock. They were all so sad. I– "

"Sad? Why?"

"Because Veggie died and Son-san was going to leave because he was dead. I had to do something."

"What?"

She smiled humorlessly again. "I made a bargain; my life for the lives of the last two full-blooded Saiyajins."

Bardock stared down at her in shock – his son and the prince? She sacrificed her life for theirs? Why? '_Because she felt like she owed them,'_ his mind supplied. The concept of self-sacrifice in a child, a female child as young as she, who obviously had no formal martial arts training was completely unfathomable.

She looked happy again, "And it worked! See? 'Cause I'm here with a halo and they're at home."

He frowned, recalling the affection she mentioned between her brother and the prince and herself. "But won't everyone be sad that you're gone?"

She blinked in confusion and thought for a moment. "Some might be a little, others won't be. Besides, I'm not important."

Bardock stared at her in shock. Not important? '_She really believes that?'_ Thinking back, he remembered every time she slipped behind him and out of sight. He thought of how she walked into the bar with her head bowed. Initially, he thought she was shy – if ever a Saiyajin could be – but now he wasn't so sure. Someone had put a great fear in this child's mind. Who was the mystery yet to be solved. He sighed. "This 'Veggie' is the prince?" She nodded. "Tell me about him."

"He's really cool! He acts tough a lot and can be really mean sometimes, but I know he doesn't mean it 'cause he still lets me watch him train."

Bardock smirked in amusement. "Really? He lets you?"

She nodded. "Trunks and Goten always go off and spar, but Veggie stays in that one room. I think part of why he lets me watch is because he's lonely. He'd get mad if I told him that though. He'll talk sometimes and tell me a lot of things."

"Like what?" Bardock asked while settling himself in the cushioned booth and propping his intertwined fingers atop his armored stomach.

"He'll tell me about Saiyajins and Vegeta-sei, battles he won; places he's seen. Sometimes he'll tell me things he did when he was my age." Usagi shook her head. She giggled. "He likes to fight with Bulma-san a lot. But that's okay because it's not real fighting."

Bardock frowned in confusion. Not real fighting? "Bulma-san is…?"

"Oh! That's Veggie's wife and Trunks's mom."

He frowned. "What's a wife?"

She looked confused. "Oh yeah, Veggie calls her his mate."

"He fights with his mate!"

"Not fist fighting, yell fighting."

Bardock blinked. "Oh."

"And you know what, Bardock-san?" she leaned forward and whispered. "Bulma-san always wins because she reminds Veggie of his fear."

"His fear?" Bardock leaned in until their noses were almost touching and whispered, "What does the prince fear?"

"Bulma-san says it's sleeping on the couch."

Bardock exploded with laughter.

* * *

Everyone at his team's table looked over in curiosity. "I wonder what they're talking about," Tora thought.

"There is something different about that brat," Fausha thought aloud.

"You mean besides the hair?"

She ignored that comment, "She had this strange hold over Bardock unlike anything I've ever seen in a Saiyajin. First, he was all quiet and worried; and now he's laughing like a loon."

"Bah! You think too much woman."

She glared at Orgos, "Or maybe you don't think enough."

* * *

"What's so funny? Krillen-san laughed a lot when I told him. He kept saying I'd understand when I'm older."

Bardock fought to get his breathing back to normal. "And Krillen-san is…?"

"Oh. He's the principal at our school." Bardock didn't understand that title but chose not to interrupt. "He's really funny. I stay with him while I wait for Gohan to pick me up, and he'll order pizza! He said that it's okay to have grown ups for friends. Mom would get mad if she found out, so promise me you won't tell?" Usagi asked and held out her pinky.

Bardock eyed it warily. "I promise."

"Nope, you have to pinky swear or it doesn't count."

He raised an eyebrow. "And this is?"

Usagi looked at him as if he were the dumbest person walking the planet. "You don't know what a pinky swear is!"

He squirmed in his chair and shifted his eyes away. '_I am a genius of my time,'_ he complimented himself egotistically without feeling one iota of remorse, '_then how come this _child_ can make me feel like some untried youth who misplaces his space pod_. "No…" he stated hesitantly.

She sighed. "Let me see your hand." Her small, pale fingers were in sharp contrast with his tan, weathered, callous-covered hand. She looped her pinky around his. Her finger was so petite it resembled a pale ring more than a finger. "Okay, now promise."

He rolled his eyes. "You certainly have the strangest customs. Okay. In the event that I should ever meet your mother, I promise not to tell."

She sagged in genuine relief. "Thank you."

Bardock sighed. '_First she apologizes, and now she's thanking me. This brat's got a lot to learn about Saiyajins.'_ He remembered what spawned the bizarre custom. "Who's Gohan?"

She blinked. "He's my older brother."

Bardock waited for the rest of her description, but she remained silent. "How old is he?" he probed.

"Seventeen, I think." She looked away from his searching gaze and at the swirl of smoke lazily drifting to the ceiling.

"Hmm…. Well, brat, you've answered all of my questions; now I have something to tell you." Usagi stopped swinging her legs and waited patiently. "You're father, Kakarot, is a full blooded Saiyajin right?" She nodded. "Well, he is also my son."

Usagi blinked. "So that means…?"

"I'm your grandfather."

Usagi looked confused before adamantly shaking her head in denial. "That can't be right; you can see me."

"What are you talking about? Of course I can see you."

She shook her head. "But, my other grandpa doesn't see me."

"Is he blind?"

"No, but for the longest time Goten and I thought he was."

"But he couldn't see you? I don't understand."

"I didn't either. He would visit sometimes and just look right through me. Once we were in the same room and he didn't say a word. I thought it was weird because he could see Goten and Gohan but not me."

Bardock clinched his fists under the table. '_He just ignored her?'_

"Goten snuck up behind him and poked him in the eyes once just to make sure he wasn't blind. Sometimes Gohan doesn't see me either. Ever since…" she shuddered a little. "After a while I didn't really mind that my grandpa couldn't see me. Some people are just like that, I guess. So, you can't be my grandpa," she finished logically.

Bardock tilted her face up and leaned forward until their eyes filled each other's vision. "Guess what brat? I see you."

Usagi stared into his ebony eyes for a long time. For some odd reason his comment made her happy. She smiled up at her grandfather before launching herself into her arms.

"Aak! What in hell do you think you're doing?" Bardock half-heartedly swatted her away from him in horror.

Usagi loosened her grip from around his neck. "Giving you a hug."

"A hug?"

Her jaw dropped. "You don't know what a hug is!" He shook his head. She sighed, "Well I'll just have to hug you a lot to make up for all of these years."

"What is this hugging's purpose?"

She thought. "It makes both people feel better. It's like saying you're not alone."

"What a strange culture you grew up in. It sound's too emotional by half." He remained silent for a long while. "Are you ready to meet a lot of new people now?"

She picked at her pants, "Do I have to?"

He scooped her into his arms and headed back to his team. "Yes, you have to," he spoke to her mass of blonde locks.

"Welcome back, Bardock. We were just debating on if you had forgotten us or not."

Bardock snorted, "As if I could forget all of your ugly faces."

They laughed. "Yo, brat, what'd you do with Nappa's scouter?"

"I hid it."

Tora jumped to his feet. "She speaks! This calls for a celebration. Brussel, you old goat, bring us some more drinks!"

Fausha elbowed him in the gut. "Shut up and sit down, idiot."

Commander Celeric chuckled, "Such a way with words." He turned to address the child. "Where'd you hide it?"

She shifted uneasily but stopped when Bardock gave her a reassuring squeeze. "On the roof of that big building."

"You flew all the way to the palace!" She nodded. A strange silence swept over the warriors. Their faces became tense and twitched every few moments before they couldn't hold it any longer and burst into fits of laughter. "That dumb ass is probably still searching."

Bardock shook his head at the fighters. They were all almost drunk except for the ever watchful commander of course. "How'd you get so fast brat?"

"Bulma-san said it's because I'm like a blind person."

They all blinked. Bardock shook his head. He wasn't even going to try to figure out what that meant. Commander Celeric sighed as he finished off his drink and stood. "I guess we better report to the king. He gets impatient and probably wants my head to roll for taking so long."

"King?" Usagi asked.

"He's the guy you called Veggie," Bardock supplied also standing. "I'll go with you."

"That guy's the king?" She grinned, "He must be Veggie's dad!" She giggled, "He's got a beard!"

Celeric paused, "Dad? You knew the prince? Prince Vegeta?"

Usagi blinked at the suddenly serious faces. "Yes, sir."

"Did you ask her?" Celeric rounded on Bardock.

"No. I kind of figured everyone should know at the same time."

"Ask her now."

Shouts grew louder and the familiar sound of fist hitting flesh interrupted the conversation. Usagi watched as bets were placed and people cheered. '_They like watching people get beat up?'_ Another punch landed and the noise in the bar became deafening. Commander Celeric pushed his way through the crowd and pulled the fighting pair apart. People booed.

"Everyone shut up and listen!" The ground rattled from the echoing bellow. For once Brussel's Bar in the inner royal capital was quiet. Finally the commander nodded for Bardock to begin. Everyone looked at the third-class warrior and the blond-haired child with interest. It went against Saiyajin tradition for someone to break up a fight; only the king had such an honor. Usually the Saiyajins preferred to let two people end a dispute with their fists.

"Listen, Usagi, this is very important. Do you know someone named Frieza?"

The two men Celeric held stopped struggling and joined the rest of the throng in staring at the girl. Usagi tried to ignore everyone's burning gazes and concentrate. "The name sounds familiar." She scrunched her brow in thought. It was on the tip of her brain. "Is he important?"

Bardock took it as a good sign that she didn't know him. "He destroyed our planet and killed all but four of our race." A few growls echoed through the room before they were quickly silenced.

"Oh, that guy! I remember now. Yeah, he died."

"What!" some people shouted from the back of the room before they too were silenced.

Bardock fought to keep his face expressionless; he didn't want her to know how much her news alarmed him. "What happened to him?"

Everyone leaned forward. "He died a long time ago, before Trunks, Goten, and I were even born. Veggie likes to talk about it. I know because he gets this little grin on his face. He said that day the Saiyajin race was avenged. He said the power of a Super Saiyajin killed," she fought to remember his exact words, "that shit-eating, freaky, gay son-of-a-bitch."

Everyone grinned at her choice of words. "A Super Saiyajin?" Orgos asked.

"That's just a legend!" someone called out.

"It doesn't matter if the brat got it wrong; a Saiyajin still killed the little bastard and avenged our people!" another added. A cheer swept through the room faster than Super Saiyajins at dinner time.

Usagi tugged on Bardock's armor. "This is good news?"

"No brat. This is great news."

It seemed that great news spread fast. By the time Usagi, Celeric, and Bardock touched down at the palace, nearly everyone in the city knew.

* * *

Silence reigned throughout the throne room after Usagi haltingly related what she recalled as the death of Freiza and the life of Goku and Vegeta. She stood erect, flanked by her grandfather and the commander of the low-level forces, as she waited for their reactions. Her gaze was resolutely fixed on a minute notch on the jeweled throne above King Vegeta's shoulder. It looked as though someone had attempted to behead the monarch with a sharp sword, but missed . . . a mistake that probably cost them dearly. She didn't have to wait long before the first old general snapped from his outraged stupor.

"You expect us to believe a nobody female like you? As if a low-level soldier could rival the powers of our prince," he scoffed.

"She couldn't even dodge Nappa!" someone reminded.

"Completely pathetic."

"We're not so gullible as to be taken in by an infant's word."

One general jumped to his feet in exuberance and shouted with gusto, "She should be punished for her impudent lies!"

The idea was immediately seized upon. "Eighty lashes minimum!"

"No, let's pass her around the elites as a punching bag!"

"A body part should be removed at the very least."

The oldest of the generals' eyes lit up. "Her feet!"

Everyone groaned with annoyance.

King Vegeta let the elders ramble on and discuss various tortures that had proven useful in the past. His attention was held by that of the child who had been staring off into oblivion, contemplating whatever little girls contemplated. What really struck him as odd was her reaction to the various mutilations being suggested, or rather the lack thereof. Finally, his curiosity conquered his silence.

He held up his hand for silence. "I'm curious about something, brat." He waited for her attention to focus completely on him. "Why do you not flinch from these suggestions?"

Usagi frowned in confusion, weighing her emotions, and finally shrugged. "Pain is a part of existence. It will come whether I want it to or not, so why should I worry?"

King Vegeta frowned and was about to say something when a young soldier burst into the room at top speed waving a stack of papers frantically. "Majesty! I-It's horrible! We didn't . . . we only have . . . absolutely catastrophic!" the boy babbled incoherently in his haste.

"Cease this endless prattle and give me the damn message already." He would have blasted the fool out of existence the moment he presumed to barge in and interrupt a royal audience, but from the way the brat was carrying on the message was bound to be important. So the boy lived even though the King had virtually no patience with idiots.

The messenger gasped. "The moon!"

Heads turned as everyone stilled, already expecting the worst.

"It's coming in three days!"

* * *

AN: Oh, oh plot twist! Hmmm… I wonder what's going to happen now? Okay! It's time for you to tell me what you think so far. I'm going to try and get through the Vegeta-sei segment of this story as fast as I can because I know that ya'll are eagerly waiting for Trunks to re-enter the scene. So, my challenge now exists in that I have to have her gain inner strength through realistic means in as little words as possible. Hmmm….me not be wordy? What? Like that's going to happen. Review and tell me what you think of this interesting development!

REVIEW me your locations! I'm really interested in seeing where everyone lives and how many different people I'm reaching across the states and other countries. How many Yankee fans do I have and how many Rednecks? Hmm…an interesting question. Thanks!


	15. Taresa

**Chapter 14**

For the life of her Usagi couldn't figure out why everyone was making such a big deal about the moon coming. For the past three days and two nights everyone – both the elite and the low-leveled soldiers – worked frantically to construct a massive tent-like building far from the outer-most rim of the city, out in the dry mountains of rock where only the lizards dared to live. Upon hearing the young soldier's message, King Vegeta ordered similar structures to be built outside every city on the whole planet. The tent had to be large enough to comfortably house the entire population of its city for a full night and had to be opaque enough so that no natural light could penetrate it.

Usagi leaned back against one of the metal spikes used to support the ceiling and watched as everyone scurried to finish the last minute preparations – double-checking the support cords, packing the food rations, and making their little space more comfortable. Bardock had shoved her inside and left after imparting a sharp order to stay put. She rolled her eyes. Yeah, like she could go anywhere with all these people packed so close together.

A sudden hush came across the people of the Royal Capital, and Usagi knew that night was upon them. The soldiers hurried inside under the protective shade and quickly pulled the flaps down so that everyone was completely surrounded by cloth. The darkness was absolute. Almost simultaneously lanterns flared to life and cast everything in a warm surreal glow. Usagi sighed with relief and tried to fight off her deep longing for windows, an alternate escape route just in case.

She gazed out the multitude of bodies sprawled out on blankets and pillows of every imaginable design. As the hours passed and the soldiers finally eased their guards, Usagi noticed that everyone was grouped into families or couples and those who weren't mated banded together or remained with their fighting companions. Seized by a sudden longing, Usagi rose to her feet and graved her way into the masses. She wasn't alone. Bardock was somewhere.

Finally, after some careful stepping and a few whispered words of apology, she spotted his familiar hairstyle. Just as she was about to make her way over, a grossly muscular leg blocked her line of sight. With slow moving eyes and a growing dread Usagi looked up and into the beady black eyes of the King's greatest fighter. She gulped painfully.

Nappa smirked. "Think I'd forgotten about you in all the activity of the past few days?" He took a step forward. "I never did beat you into a bloody pulp like I promised, did I?" He grinned. "And now there's no where for you to run." As he reached forward to caress her face, Usagi snapped from her horrified stupor, turned on her heel, and sprinted back the way she had come. Nappa lunged for her, but she easily slipped from his grasp leaving him with only a mouthful of dirt.

"Get back here!" he screamed, drawing the attention of many of the grouped soldiers including Bardock and the King.

"Oh shit," Bardock said with feeling before giving chase to the bald elite.

Usagi paid them no mind as she jumped over babies' cribs and ducked beneath hanging blankets. She nearly tripped over stack of food and mounds of pillows, before finally acknowledging that there was absolutely no room to maneuver. Abruptly there as the dull white-cast orange in the gentle glow of the fire-lit lanterns of the tent in front of her path. She turned only to find the massive seven foot frame of an enraged Saiyajin bent on revenge a mere six feet away.

Nappa chuckled and began popping his knuckles. "No where to run. No where to hide. I wonder if your bones break as easily as I remember."

Usagi watched him step closer and made a split second decision that would guarantee her survival, at least for a few more seconds. She turned, ripped up the tent flap, and slipped into the chill of the moonlight. There was more room to dodge and run outside, and whatever the moonlight promised couldn't be worse than getting pounded into nothing by a pair of ham-like fists that had the power of a Mac truck with a rocket strapped to it.

Nappa ripped the flap off and flung it behind him, determined to follow her but skidded to a halt when he noticed the moonlight washing over the outside. The training of a lifetime rose up to calm his rage and remind him of the reasons he shouldn't step into the mystical light while on his home planet. Just as his ire cooled Bardock and King Vegeta caught up to him.

"Nappa, you fool! Are you trying to kill us all!" King Vegeta roared with fury. "When we return to the city, I swear on the blood of Raseri, I will gut you and feed your organs to the maggots!"

Nappa hurried to explain. "B-But, sire, I was…she –"

"Silence!" The King's bellow and the subsequent power ripple ruffled hanging blankets and displaced loose sand. "I do not wish to hear your pathetic excuses." He turned to the awaiting crowd and motioned to his personal soldiers. "Take him away and keep him from my sight for the rest of the night." As Nappa slunk away the king warned, "If you so much as pass gas without permission and I smell it, I will rip off your ass and make you eat it."

Bardock, while relishing Nappa's cut down, focused his attention on his granddaughter who was currently standing behind the lone boulder in the flat plain of sand along this side of the tent. Just one wrong move, one little glimpse at the giant glowing orb in the sky, and she would transform into the Ozzaru, the sacred primate of old whose power was a gift to the royal house of Vegeta and through their kings an ability granted to all Saiyajins. The giant beast would emerge from the fle3sh of any Saiyajin under the light of a complete moon enraged and bent towards one goal: death to all enemies.

Bardock took a deep, sputtering breath and reached for calm. "Usagi?" he called out carefully, and cleared his throat to banish the telling squeak.

King Vegeta stepped up beside Bardock and focused his formidable mind on the potentially disastrous situation at hand. "Brat, where are you?"

Usagi walked around from behind the boulder and leaned against its side. She paused, and fought against the impulse to turn and look for someone behind her when she realized that everyone was staring at her. "Nappa was chasing me again," she started hoping to explain and diffuse their anger.

"We know," Bardock said with infinite patience. "I want you to do something for me, okay? Just keep your eye on the ground and walk over here."

Usagi glanced at him and the king hesitantly. "But, Nappa's still in there."

Bardock nodded slowly, fighting for calm and collectedness. "Don't worry, I'll protect you," he promised, ready to agree to dance in a grass skirt for the rest of his life if she would just get back under the tent.

Usage merely raised a single eyebrow which clearly stated '_yeah, right'._ Bardock sighed and began mumbling about how the youth didn't respect heir elders like they should.

King Vegeta came to his rescue. "That idiot won't bother you now or ever again, I assure you."

Usagi nodded and truly relaxed for the first time in days. The King was the only one on the whole planet strong enough to guarantee her safety.

Bardock's patience snapped as he shouted from his place by the king's side, "Damn it, brat. I want a hug! So get your little half-Saiyajin self over here right now!"

King Vegeta looked at the soldier in confusion. "What's a hug?"

Usagi backed into the boulder, her eyes wide with shock; Bardock had never yelled at her before. She slowly shook her head. "I don't thing I want to give you one right now." She had a hunch that he would likely strangle her. "Why are you so…" she trailed off when she noticed the once tan sand now washed white in the starlight and truly realized where she was for the first time.

"Don't look at the moon!" King Vegeta commanded at a shout, detesting the helplessness he experienced.

"The moon?" Usagi echoed. "What moon?" And, like many other children her age, contradicted her elder's dictations and let curiosity consume her. Usagi turned her pale face to the sky and gazed at the moon for the first time in her entire life.

"Oh, shit," Bardock iterated with deep feeling. As he and the rest of the Saiyajin population of the Royal Capital watched helplessly as the young child became enthralled. They dreaded the worst and waited for fur to sprout from her face and her teeth to lengthen into a more primitive form. They waited for long pregnant moments, but in vain.

"What's going on?"

"Why isn't she turning?"

Whispers began to break out among the confused mass, but Bardock ignored them and kept his attention centered on his granddaughter. No Saiyajin with a tail could resist the moon's siren-like call. Maybe it just took the half breeds longer. Apparently the king shared his opinion when the monarch instructed the surrounding soldiers. "When she starts to transform she will be distracted enough for a clean shot."

"But, sire," one soldier bravely questioned, "What good is a single ki blast against the Ozzaru?"

King Vegeta rolled his eyes in annoyance. Were his soldiers really this dense? '_Maybe I should require more than three years of schooling…'_ "Strike at the beast's only weakness you lack-witted buffoon. Sever her tail."

A stunned audience answered his with shocked silence. "C-Cut off her tail?" one mullet-headed Saiyajin asked in horror while desperately clutching his own furry appendage and stroking it lovingly.

Bardock nodded his agreement, refusing to shift his gaze from the hypnotized girl. "The rejuvenating tanks will right all damages, even a missing appendage."

Before anyone could add to his assessment, a loud gasp followed by a brief scream that was silenced almost as soon as it began, drew their attention back to the unique blond Saiyajin hunched over on top of the boulder. A strange silver glow encompassed her petite form, and when it finally receded her generic Saiyajin clothing was replaced with a flowing white dress the likes of which the Saiyajins had never seen; it seemed to be woven with light-kissed threads that had their own subtle glow. Her hair was twisted into her personal twin buns atop her head with two long streamers flowing down and blanketing the wind-hardened rock with spun gold. But, the most intriguing feature, was hands-down, without-a-doubt the two feathered wings arching up from her back. They spread wide, stretching well beyond the large rock she crouched on, as if waiting for some strong breeze to lift her up and away from the world, into the surreal-looking clouds that seemed to have emerged from some child's dream fantasy. The spectator Saiyajins immediately noted the bloody tips of each wing, as if they had burst from her shoulder blades.

Her gaze remained fixed up to the glowing face of the moon. Long minutes passed, and she still didn't transform properly into the raging beast of her ancestors. When, slowly, everyone realized that this was the extent of her change and that the beast of old did not plague this one child, the first Saiyajin dropped to his knees and mumbled, "It's a miracle."

Another knelt and whispered reverently, "Taresa."

"Don't be a fool," one Saiyajin snapped. "S-She couldn't be," he finished hesitantly. "Impossible."

The Saiyajins abandoned their comfortable corners of the tent to crowd around the opening and stare at the small miracle child; this had never happened before.

"What can we do now?" Bardock asked his king, hoping that the leader would have some revolutionary idea on how to fix this.

King Vegeta sighed. "We wait."

* * *

Usagi fell deep into the moon's hypnotic light and watched as many strange images flashed in her mind's view. A group of girls with glowing symbols on their foreheads. One with green eyes, one with violet. Usagi gasped. '_That's her, the fire girl from the restaurant!'_ The image of a majestic kingdom with marbled streets and shimmering villages, two cats with moons on their foreheads, and a shining crystal all flashed one right after the other. '_What does it mean?'_ Usagi asked herself, not understanding the connection between all these different visions. A twin-bunned woman whose face was hidden in shadow. A blooming rose. A handsome man with raven black hair and midnight eyes lingered in her mind's eye. She felt like she should know him from somewhere even though she had never met him in her life. Suddenly the frozen images ceased their endless succession and a running movie-like scene unfolded before her.

She saw herself in ten years, dressed in some flowing white gown that looked as if it belonged in some movie star wedding dress catalogue. This older version of her was sprinting to a pair of balcony doors looming in the distance. Usagi didn't understand what the big rush was; she glanced behind her and didn't see anyone chasing them. The balcony doors were flung open by a gusting wind to reveal a dark scene of complete and utter destruction. The marble streets lay in a crumbled heap while the shimmering city was suffocated in creeping fog.

The teenage Usagi skidded to a halt and watched with naked horror as a blast tore open the body of her only love. Usagi winced in sympathy when she saw the black-haired blue-eyed hotty from before take the blast head-on. '_That had to hurt._' When the dust settled again and the ground quit shaking with tremors from the blast, Usagi was shocked to see that he man didn't get up. Sure, that blast was pretty powerful, but not enough to die from.

A blood-curdling scream echoed though the deserted kingdom, as the older girl finally realized the man's predicament. A darker, evil chuckle from above was her only answer. Usagi looked up and saw a billowing, abnormally dark cloud hovering in the sky and obscuring the body of the enemy. She was about to fly up to get a better look at the opponent's face when she caught sight of her teenaged self shakily making her way to the body of the fallen man.

"I wont' let it end this way, my love."

Usagi watched the older girl wince and visibly shutter when she saw the gaping whole in the man's abdomen. It was complete and framed the blood-soaked ground with tattered edges if flesh. The teenaged Usagi grasped the man's sword and stood to face the dark cloud above. Usagi cheered and waited for a fight to ensue.

"You can't win, Metallia. I won't let you separate us!" With both hands she grasped the jeweled hilt, turned the sword inward, and impaled herself.

* * *

"Brat, wake up. You never follow orders and get up when you're supposed to."

Someone was shaking her rather insistently. She groaned and tried to swat away whatever pest was bothering her.

"Oh, no you don't. Wake up. That's an order."

She snuggled deeper into the hard chest armor that was her pillow.

"Damn it, brat, I said now!" Bardock shook the girl on his chest so hard that her head lashed from side to side and **still** she didn't even crack open an eyelid. Never before had he met a child so dedicated to sleep.

He stood in front of the double doors that opened into the Royal Audience Room with his granddaughter a snooze in his arms and experienced a strange sense of dejavu. '_Oh, this is going to be shit-loads of fun,'_ he thought as he was announced and stepped into the world no other third-class soldier was permitted for the second time in as many weeks.

"Come forth, Bardock," the king motioned him forward. "Raseri's Seer has just landed, and he will examine her now."

Bardock had knelt before his king and now straightened to look around the room. For once all the pompous generals, the chattering historians and record keepers, and the scurrying slaves were absent, leaving only himself, the seated king, and the wizened white-haired Saiyajin who now entered the room. Bardock fell to both knees and bowed as low as he could while holding a slumbering child. "Divine Seer," he mumbled respectfully and kept his gaze on the tiled floor.

"Ah, yes. You must be the Bardock His Majesty informed me of. You have shown sufficient respect to Raseri by kneeling before his vassal. Rise so that I may see you and we can address the King's wishes."

Bardock slowly climbed to his feet and looked into the face of a Saiyajin who was known and respected by all as the greatest vassal to Raseri in history. He experienced visions that foretold the future and revealed mysteries of the past. His face was lined with age, tanned to a deep golden brown due to the sun exposure over the years, and drooped slightly with sagging eye skin and elongated ears. The seer wasn't looking at him, however, but his attention zeroed in on Usagi.

"This is the child?" Seer asked while regarding the extremely long mass of yellow-gold hair that brushed against Bardock's knees.

King Vegeta nodded gravely. "She's the one who arrived over two weeks ago and later transformed into something the likes of which I have never seen."

"Ah, yes. I've spoken with many of the witnesses and harbor no doubt that such a bazaar even did indeed happen. However," Seer began again in a slightly different tone that denoted caution. "I am not willing to accept that she is the goddess Taresa simply on that strange happening. For all we know, that could be a product of the other non-Saiyajin half of her genetic code. You did say that she was only half our race, correct? So, what do we know of this mysterious other part of her?"

King Vegeta eyed Bardock disapprovingly. "It would be helpful if we could question her."

Bardock shrugged. "The brat keeps her own schedule. She'll wake when she's ready and not a moment before. I've screamed in her face and shaken her until I thought her head would fly off, but, as you can see, all was in vain."

King Vegeta growled in frustration, his patience already dwindling down to nothing. "We could ki blast her."

Bardock shook his head a negative. "You recall when Nappa crushed her arm like it was a toothpick? She is fragile, extremely so. A ki blast might seriously damage her. Besides, I already considered that and tried with a very tiny one, but, again, nothing."

Just when King Vegeta was about to summon a servant he could pummel into the ground to help vent his frustration, Usagi went rigid in Bardock's arms and her eyes popped open only to immediately close again because of the harsh light. She slid her arms around her grandfather's neck and started off. "Grampy B! I just had the strangest dream about this suicidal girl who looked just like me, only older and prettier, and she was on this moon and –"

"Moon?" Seer interrupted her steady rant. He had been enjoying the strange pink color that rose to Bardock's cheeks after she hugged him and shouted out his nickname, when he heard that key word.

Usagi turned to look behind her and noticed the old Saiyajin for the first time. She stared into his face for a long moment and tried to pinpoint why he seemed so different than any other Saiyajin she had met. There seemed to be an aura of peace and contentment that surrounded him and governed his every move unlike many of the warriors who depended on an ever-present slow burning rage to see them through life, this elder had faced his demons and made peace with himself a long time ago. It made a huge difference.

There was that and the fact that he wasn't dressed in the armor the Saiyajins prized above all else. No, this male wore clothes made of fine shimmering cloth that was created more for personal comfort than for bodily protection. Overall, he intrigued her because of his uniqueness.

"Veggie-sama, who's this and why is he dressed so differently?"

King Vegeta frowned at his nickname and refused to answer to a mere brat.

Bardock squeezed her in warning, but answered her impertinent questions. "That's Raseri's Seer. He's a holy man, not a warrior, and thus can choose his own form of dress."

"Oh."

Meanwhile, Raseri's Seer consulted with the king. "She has the oddest coloring I've ever seen, and the strangest manner. Where did she come from?"

King Vegeta sighed and recited all the facts his scientists had gathered. "She is the spawn of Kakarot, one of the two of our race still living, and a woman from the planet Earth. She died over two weeks ago and can out run any soldier in my army."

Seer frowned. "Two weeks, you say?" he trailed off in thought. "I had a vision in one of my dreams regarding a great coming of power."

King Vegeta shrugged. "Obviously you foretold that the moon would appear."

"I do not believe so, your majesty. The feeling seemed to indicate a person with power not a thing or an object. If you are certain that she was the only arrival that day, then it stands to reason that she was what I sensed."

The king frowned in thought. "But, she isn't that powerful. Nappa nearly killed her, and a power reading shows that her ki is close to nothing."

Seer quirked a half-smile. "Someone's physical strength doesn't necessarily indicate whether or not they will play a major role in the fate of our existence, although it certainly helps."

A royal eyebrow rose. "Are you suggesting that she is the goddess Taresa?"

Raseri's Seer sighed. "While yes, she is very different from any other Saiyajin female and her transformation was abnormal, I will hold off making any sensational claims just yet. I do not feel that the goddess Taresa would chose to be reborn in the body of a half-Saiyajin child who appears to lack survival skills. I'm also hesitant because there are many who are bitter and who have lost their faith because they feel that the great warrior Raseri abandoned our race to destruction at the hands of Frieza. Those few could very well try to harm the foreign brat."

King Vegeta absorbed the holy man's wisdom and pondered over their predicament for a long moment. "We can't simply write her off as a fraud because too many witnessed her transformation and began to really believe. What will you do? How will you explain her?"

Seer thought for a moment. "I won't. The goddess Taresa was said to have conducted fantastic miracles that exceeded anything ever imagined. If and when the brat conducts said miracles, then I will acknowledge her as goddess-reborn in the eyes of the Protectors. Until then, she is simply an abnormal child with abilities granted by the unknown portions of her genes."

* * *

"That's it," Usagi barged into Brussel's Bar, ignored the few Saiyajins who dropped to their knees and bowed in her presence, and plopped down beside Bardock at his table. "I don't get it. It's been two months and people are still calling me Taresa. I can't figure out why. Who is she and why do they think I'm her?"

Usagi sipped from her glass of free root beer. Brussel had really started to like her after she delivered the news of Frieza's demise because people were still partying and, therefore, still drinking. The "old goat" was so pleased with the increase in business that he gave her a lifetime supply of root beer for free. She liked him enough that Bardock caught her trying to convince him to install windows. She argued that they would make the place happier and help stop people from fighting all the time, while the old Saiyajin said that the windows would cost a fortune to replace every time someone did decide to fight.

One thing that hadn't wavered in the past two months was Usagi's aversion to fighting. She would be behind Bardock before the first punch landed and didn't come out until long after the scuffles had ended. Someone made the mistake of trying to explain that Saiyajins loved the challenge to prove one's strength instead of hurting others. Immediately after that someone called out that is was actually a combination of both. Bardock winced as he recalled how that conversation ended. She had become as tense as a board before finally flying back to the palace. When he returned later that night, he found evidence of her tears.

As soon as Bardock finished eating, Usagi slid off her stool and plopped down on his lap, patiently waiting for him to get around to answering her questions.

"No wonder you're so puny, brat; you hardly eat a thing," Orgos called out while shoving some strange purple thing down his throat.

Usagi stuck her tongue out at him before returning to her drink. He attempted to return the favor but ended up choking. She giggled.

Everyone was clearly amazed at how little the child ate. People had bets going to how long she would last before collapsing from hunger. Her not eating scared a few people; starving to death was considered the worst way to go. Ever since his team had discovered her eating habits, they started teasing her mercilessly. She was forced to stick up for herself or be considered a coward. Even the half-breeds had too much pride. Bardock noticed that it was difficult for her to make friends, especially with adult females. Fausha was determined, however, and Usagi was starting to come around.

"Well?" Usagi prompted. "Who's Taresa?"

Bardock leaned back in his chair and absently patted his full stomach. "The prince taught you much about our race. I'm surprised he failed to mention someone so important."

Usagi shrugged. "Veggie's strange. He does a lot of things based on his own reasons. But, that's besides the point."

Bardock took a sip of his liquor before beginning. "It is really a tale of two, the Divine Couple: The ultimate warrior and his goddess mate, Raseri and Taresa."

"Every Saiyajin has grown up on their legend," Tora interceded.

"Let Bardock tell it," Fausha snapped.

The Captain stared into the sloshing amber liquid of his drink for a long moment. "Many in our galaxy believe that Saiyajins only care about the steady flow of blood and the orders of their King," he shook his head. "But that's only partially true. At the dawn of their race, near the beginning of the cosmos, when the universe was filled with only the predators and the prey, and only those with an iron will and an indestructible body survived and flourished in the screaming darkness that was our planet, a warrior emerged unlike any other.

"His power summoned every living Saiyajin to him. He trained them, taught them that only the ruthless, the merciless survive. Unlike them, however, as each battle was fought and won, his power continued to grow. Eventually, it consumed him until all he thought of was the Battle, the seduction of blood flowing freely, of victory.

"Then one day, when the enemy lay bloody and broken at his feet and his Saiyajin army sprawled exhausted around him having collapsed after countless nights of battle after battle, planet after planet, victory wasn't enough. He realized that nothing, no matter how many he slaughtered, no matter how much meat he ripped free, the rage wouldn't be sated. Sweat and blood covered his body so completely that he dripped with both; but, even as his muscles quivered with each gasping breath, his thirst for death and rage wouldn't be quenched. Ever.

"He fell to his knees and screamed in defeat; the rage was too much – an inferno charring his insides – his power rose and threatened to spill outward and consume his army, his planet. Only his skin, a flimsy barrier at best, trapped it inside. It was only when he felt his sanity slipping, only when the screaming static in his head began to descend, did he notice movement from the tree line.

"As he watched with growing anticipation, a woman unlike any he had ever encountered emerged from the foliage as if made of moonlight and, after looking out at the mass of bloody flesh and heaving bodies, calmly walked to him. After collapsing to her knees at his side, her glowing fingers brushed along his skin causing his rage simmered quiet as his body was healed with the power of the moon.

"When his rational mind returned, the urge to conquer was still riding him, and he took the goddess as his mate atop the blood-soaked ground of his homeland. He became a Super Saiyajin, the ultimate warrior in the entire universe.

"Nine-months later, the goddess Taresa, gave birth to a son who was named Vegeta and was the first of the dynasty of Kings to rule the planet. From that day forward, those of the royal bloodline were granted a reprieve from their humanoid forms during the light of the full moon as their beasts within were given reign to vent their overwhelming fury and defeat any challengers to their power.

"When the young prince came of age and claimed his own mate, the ultimate warrior, Raseri, followed his goddess into the moonlight and promised that they would return when the Saiyajin race was at its greatest need and threatened to crumble from existence."

Silenced reigned over their table as everyone gathered his or her own thoughts. "Damn, Bardock," Orgos was the first to speak. "You should have been a historian teller. I think I got shivers at that last line."

Fausha chunked her cup at his head. "Blasphemous fool."

Usagi ignored the argument and frowned in confusion. "I still don't get why some people think I'm her. I never did any of that. I don't even know anyone named Raseri."

Tora grunted. "You also didn't see what you transformed into under that full moon. If that was a giant monkey, I'll fast for a month." He chugged the rest of his drink.

"What?" Usagi asked, confused. She didn't remember anything from that night except for that strange dream.

"You had on this really long flowing dress," Orgos described while using his hands to outline his body in a comical way.

"And wings! You mustn't forget the wings that sprouted from her back."

"What the king found most intriguing was the fading crescent moon glowing on her forehead," Bardock commented.

Usagi touched her forehead. "A moon?" She turned to regard all of her new found friends. "If I looked so different, then why doesn't everyone think I'm Taresa?"

Fausha shrugged. "I'd imagine some don't want to believe, while others just aren't sure. Well? How 'bout it, brat? Have you ever healed anyone by touching them? You claimed to know many Super Saiyajins. Could one of them be Raseri?"

Usagi paled considerably and shifted her gaze to a stain in the table. It couldn't be. There was no possible way. She wasn't some divine being. She was a useless nobody who leached off her friends and chose the coward's way out by dieing instead of continuing to live with her mother.

"We're waiting, brat."

Usagi bit her lip and hunched her shoulders. "Well," she began in a quiet voice that could barely be heard over the grunting customers, the chattering glasses, and the opening of the door. "There was this one time."

Bardock couldn't believe this. "Go on," he encouraged her to continue.

"Trunks went in to rescue me from the fire at our school, and his arm was burnt pretty badly. I felt really guilty and wanted to take his pain away. I touched his arm, and the next thing I knew it was healed like it was brand new!"

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Bardock struggled to take this in. "And this Trunks, was he one of the Super Saiyajins you knew?"

Usagi slowly nodded.

"Raseri's blood!" Bardock exploded. "He was the prince's son, right? Your best friend?"

Usagi nodded again.

Tora sat back with a grin. "Well gut me and string my intestines to a tree. There might be hope for our race after all," he commented cheerfully.

Fausha leaned forward to stare Usagi in the eyes. "Do you think you could heal someone else besides this Trunks?"

Usagi shrugged. "I don't know. No one ever trained me on how to control it, and I've never really tried it for that one time."

Bardock blinked. "You didn't tell Prince Vegeta about this ability you have?" he asked incredulously.

Usagi shook her head again. "Only Trunks knows."

Fausha looked at her captain. "Do you think we should tell her about Celeric? Do you think she could do it?"

Usagi looked at Bardock. "What about Celeric? Why haven't I seen him in a while? Bardock," she shook his arm to get his attention. "What's wrong?"

Bardock growled in annoyance. "Celeric's mate just gave birth a few days ago."

Usagi bit her lip uncertainly. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"It is when the brat isn't deformed beyond recognition. The doctors can't even tell if it's male or female. As is our custom the brat will be terminated so that the purity of our race will not be contaminated. However, Celeric pulled a few strings and was granted a week's delay in the execution so that the doctors might find some miracle cure."

Usagi's eyes were wide. "Wow. I-I didn't know. Do you think the doctors can cure the child? Wouldn't putting the baby in the rejuvenating tank fix it?"

Bardock shook his head. "The brat is too young, besides, one has to know the sex of the patient first."

Usagi frowned in worry. "So what do you think is going to happen to the baby?" She was almost afraid to ask because some instinct told her that she wouldn't like the answer.

Tora shrugged. "The brat's going to die. It's only a matter of time, really."

Fausha leaned forward to capture Usagi's attention. "The commander is bound to be desperate. He'd probably try anything, no matter how impossible it sounds. Well, brat? Do you think you can heal the infant and save its life? I know of no other who has an ability even close to what you described."

Usagi's eyes widened. Could she do it? Would she even be willing to try? She shifted her gaze to the far wall and thought of the commander, a friend who had protected her when fights got out of control at the bar, and some of the fanatics that were so completely against a half-Saiyajin 'abomination' had tried to kill her. He didn't deserve the blistering hand fate had dealt him. Besides, he was her friend now, and she would do anything to repay him for that friendship.

Her head came up to stare the woman soldier in the eyes. "Okay, I'll try my best."

Fausha whooped with excitement and immediately took off with orgos and tora to find the commander. Bardock smirked in satisfaction when he saw the spark of determination flare in Usagi's eyes, perhaps for the first time in her young life.

It was finally happening. His patience had finally started to pay off when he noticed – however slowly – that Usagi, the timid, scared child who sacrificed herself at such a young age, was slowly releasing her stringent inhibitions and her strict rules of conduct. She was becoming a real person with her own wants and desires, goals, and drives to accomplish those goals. Here was a child he could learn to be proud of.

"Bardock, what if I don't remember how to heal like I did before? What if I screw up?" Usagi questioned anxiously while fidgeting in her seat after pacing nervously around the table.

The full-blooded Saiyajin sighed. Apparently she still had a lot to learn about a Saiyajin's self-confidence that masked itself as a rather healthy ego. "Just remember exactly how you felt and what you did when you healed the young prince. Don't worry; you'll do fine."

Usagi stopped fidgeting and stared him unblinkingly in the face. "You think so?"

He threw back the rest of his drink. "I know so."

Usagi looked down at her hands in conviction. NO one had ever believed in her like he did. She owed it to him to do this. She would do this, no matter what.

A sudden silence washed over the occupants of the bar a few minutes later. All eyes turned to the massive form of the elite commander of the low-level forces as he stood silhouetted in the door holding a mass of howling, squirming blankets. With each step he took into the room more people quieted and watched his progression. The screaming bundle of cloth grew louder and louder.

Finally, commander Celeric halted before Usagi and stared at her for a long, pregnant moment. Silence echoed throughout the massive room as not a soul dared to breathe. He knelt in front of the half-Saiyajin and held out the misshapen lump of black cloth. "If you are truly the goddess Taresa some have named you, then will you heal this-this –" he struggled for the right words as he looked down at his offspring in frustrated horror. "Will you heal it and make it whole again?"

Usagi averted her eyes to the black bundle, not being able to stand the pleading, desperate expression of her friend. '_What if I can't do this? What if I just imagined healing Trunks?'_

As she tentatively pulled back the course dark fabric and looked into the horribly misshapen face of a new born infant, all doubts and worries vanished from her mind. There could be no faltering, no hesitation because it was obvious from Celeric's expression that she was the babe's only hope.

She stared into the child's face, taking in its left eye that was swollen shut and placed somewhere where the forehead should be while its right eye was warped and seemed to be permanently fixed looking slightly up and to the left. One of its cheeks was sunken in causing its bumpy mouth to droop inward as best as she could tell, since the mouth was currently hanging wide open and wailing like there was no tomorrow, which was ironic for this child because if this didn't work then it would most certainly die. At least she knew that its lungs seemed to be in prime condition.

With a certainty that she shouldn't feel since she had ever held an infant before, she reached for the child. As soon as it was settled in her arms, miraculously its wailing slowed before completely stopping and true silence descended over the bar causing everyone to truly hope for the first time. Usagi could feel the odd bumps and jutting limbs through the blanket and knew that the rest of its body was as disfigured as its face, but none of that mattered. As the child quieted and allowed itself to relax for the first time, Usagi felt a strange sort of harmony settle inside her. Suddenly, as her thoughts grew calm and her breath became steady, she knew what to do.

"You have a beautiful son, Celeric. Don't you see?" A strange silver light began to pulse from her hands as slowly her Saiyajin clothes melted away into the glowing white gown that she had appeared in two months ago under the light of the full moon.

"He will be a strong warrior, like his father." Wings unfolded from her back and arched forward to touch the quiet boy. As each feather brushed his skin, a tiny trail of healthy pink flesh appeared.

"Can't you tell?" With one final flash of light the black blanket fluttered to the floor revealing a strong pair of kicking legs and waving arms that adorned a chubby child who had a large collection of black spikes jutting from his scalp.

"Yes, Taresa. I can see," Celeric gladly accepted his son with a telltale watery sheen in his eyes.

Usagi glanced around the shady characters of the bar and found that every one of them was on their knees and bowing glow to her. As she scanned the crowd, everyone noticed the pulsating crescent insignia adorning her forehead and knew beyond a doubt that this was their goddess reborn, that this was the mate of the strongest Saiyajin warrior who had ever existed.

Raseri's Seer, the greatest holy man of his time, pushed his way to the winged girl's side and touched his head to the floor at her feet. "I am a humble vassal of your mate, Raseri, and through him I serve you. As the head of the Order of Protectors, I vow to guide you and teach you so that one day you will be reunited with your mate. It is through his and your power that I can see what is to come, and it is through that power that I knew to search you out now. As in your past life, you conduct miracles of great proportion that leave us with no doubt of your power. You are the Holy Goddess, and it's about time we treated you as such."

* * *

A month passed in which Usagi was taken and exhibited to all the temples and shrines dedicated to Taresa and Raseri. She met the higher members of the Protectors – most powerful in their own right but dedicated their lives (after the countless wars and battles) to the preservation of their faith instead of becoming generals, teachers, or businessmen – who surprisingly contained a mixture of males and females. A new wardrobe fit for a goddess of one of the most powerful races to ever exist was ordered for her complete with shimmering silks, feather light satin, and soft velvet. There were even some materials she couldn't even attempt to recognize.

In addition to the lovely dresses and, she grinned, flowered hairpins, she was also given new quarters. No longer would she sleep on the couch in the one bedroom apartment the king granted Bardock at the beginning of her arrival – even though she loved the comfortable sofa and the late night talks with her grandfather. Now she slept in a bed that was placed on a platform in the center of a room in the temple of the royal capital. When she tried to gain an explanation as to why she had to sleep in that particular bed in that particular room, she was told that it was where she and Raseri would mate and rest. Usagi noted how the bed was the central part of the massive room. The head priestess answered that the congregation had to have a good view. That got Usagi's attention.

"You WATCH!" she had cried out in disbelief. Who would have thought that Saiyajins were really voyeurs at heart?

"Of course," was the woman's reply. "Every time you mate, a holy event is occurring. It must be carefully documented and observed so that we may better serve you and keep the people's faith from dwindling."

Even her daily schedule changed once she was anointed goddess reborn. Now, most of her time was spent at King Vegeta's side as he conducted foreign affairs. She learned from this continued observation just how ruthless Saiyajins could be, and she realized that the majority of a Saiyajin's hostility was usually directed at outsiders, foreigners who didn't have the blood or the instincts of a warrior. She once saw the king vaporize a pair of messengers from some distant planet who wanted the Saiyajins' protection and weren't willing to pay for it. King Vegeta had no patience with fools.

Whenever she wasn't with the king she was being educated by Raseri's Seer on the Saiyajins' long history and the duties that were expected of her as a mate and goddess. Every moment she could scrounge for herself was spent either with Bardock and his crew at Brussels's Bar – which was now booming in business because it was becoming known as the miracle place – or in whatever woods she could find, exploring and finding 'secret hideouts'.

Usagi wasn't sure how to comprehend the attention she gained and the dramatic, almost reverent way she was treated. When she walked down the streets in the Royal City or flew to eh palace, many would stop and bow before her. Some would actually prostrate themselves at her feet. It was quite disserting for a seven-year old to have grown men with sour dispositions and huge hulking muscles kneel before her showing great respect for who she was supposed to be.

She was so confused because when she had lived her mother made clear that she had no value, that she was less than nothing. Now, all of a sudden, after one night she was elevated so high in the thoughts of a race she admired. Usagi didn't trust this new faith; she was waiting for them to come to their senses and realize that she was a nobody. They would no doubt be angry with her for leading them on and then the pain would begin.

* * *

"Usagi, get out from under there!" Bardock screamed at his bed feeling utterly ridiculous conversing with an inanimate object. Enough was enough.

Usagi clutched the pillow tighter and squeezed back against the chilled wall as another bright flash briefly illuminated Bardock's quarters before plunging it in a pitched darkness once again. "I don't want to," she grumbled out, rubbing her legs together for warmth against the cold-charged air and ignored the dust clumps tumbling across the hardwood floor with each gust of wind, no matter how slight.

Bardock clinched his hands and glared at the gray-cast sheets in frustration. "You are cowering, hiding because of a little thunderstorm. Saiyajins don't cower. You are a goddess; act like one. Taresa isn't some scared child to cringe at loud noises and flashing lights. She should fear nothing because Raseri fears nothing. Usagi!" he shouted again, bellowing louder than the deafening thunder raging over the capital. There was no way he would let her retreat into her old fears. They had come so far. It was time to push her and make her face whatever causes her to run. Once she faces it, she will conquer it. A Saiyajin can do no less.

Usagi clinched her eyes shut and tried to block out the vicious storm, but each time total darkness descended her vindictive mind reared its head and summoned visions of the last time she had been in a storm. Glowing red eyes. Charred, blacked flesh. The stench of her own blood. Her eyes snapped open as she whimpered and hunched down over the lavender pillow.

Bardock heard the weak sound an animal makes when it's hurt and realizes its about to be eaten. His jaws clinched. He hauled the bed high and yanked the trembling, huddled form that was his granddaughter from underneath it. Without pausing, he flung the bed away and began dragging Usagi behind him as he determinedly marched from his quarters.

Usagi stumbled and tripped initially, but when she realized his destination was the outside, she quickly locked her legs and attempted to yank free. "No, Bardock. I don't want to go outside. Please, don't make me, Bardock! Please!" Her cries grew in earnest as he climbed down the many flights and drew nearer to the entrance of the palace and outside. Unbeknownst to Usagi, her cries had awakened many soldiers and palace attendants who now emerged from their sleeping quarters and cautiously followed the tussling pair. Many uncertain whispers multiplied as people began to notice that their child goddess was clearly being forced against her will, but Bardock ignored them and threw open the palace doors and dragged his squirming granddaughter into the biting rain. He was going to show her how senseless her fears were in hopes that she would abandon them completely and become normal.

"Captain Bardock, what's the meaning of this?" King Vegeta questioned as he stood shirtless, yawning without giving the slightest thought to the piercing rain and the violent clouds.

Bardock shook his head. "I'm tired of this constant fear she harbors against everything. Taresa of old lived without fear because she knew that her mate would allow no harm to come to her. Taresa should not hide in fear of a mere storm! I will accept nothing less than perfection from someone who has been so highly revered throughout our history."

King Vegeta frowned and tilted his head to the side as he observed his subject. "It is not for you to question or disallow anything."

Raseri's Seer spoke up from the palace doorway. "Perhaps she continues to live in fear because she has not found the great Raseri and known such security."

Usagi stilled and allowed her madly shifting gaze to finally drift towards the heavens which had strangely quieted – except for the occasional rumble – as if waiting to launch a final offensive. A guttural moan of thunder shook the ground and caused the massive towers to sway and quake, threatening to crash down around them. Usagi whimpered.

King Vegeta regarded her huddled form shivering in the drenched sand and puddle mud. "Still, perhaps something should be done to eradicate this unreasonable fear of being stuck by lightning."

Before anyone could comment, light arched in the sky as electricity skipped from cloud to cloud before it crashed to the ground, liquefying sand into glass and causing all the Saiyajins to wince and shield their faces. However, this minute strike was followed by a series of mini-bolts all bursting from the sky to land at the feet of the crowd not on the massive buildings surrounding them. A feeling of déjà vu washed over Usagi as she stared in horror at the gargantuan bolt of electricity which began to race towards her. She froze in place, too caught up in the memories of Trunks's streaming face and Goten's pitiful pleas to dodge the inevitable collision. Before anyone could act, she was consumed by the column of light.

"Shit," one soldier breathed as he stared in horror at his goddess's tiny frame which appeared to float lifelessly while lightning arched through it.

Bardock stared in stupefied horror as if caught in a trance. He hadn't anticipated anything like this.

King Vegeta noticed a glowing green emblem blazing across her forehead. That was definitely new. The lightning was also acting strangely since it remained constant and didn't diminish as the storm raged on. He frowned and staked to the humming edge of the piercingly bright light.

"Just as I thought," he mumbled to himself as he studied the blazing symbol up close. It was a planetary symbol. '_How did she get one?_' he thought with a frown. When one monarch unites the planet under one rule, the planet will grant the monarch a unique power and a symbol which represents that power. Usually this power is hereditary, but occasionally the planet will chose another to pass on its energy. '_Why her?'_ Without a second thought he reached through the crackling energy and yanked her free.

"Your majesty!" several soldiers and personal attendants made to rush to his side but a quick flick of his wrist caused them to skid to a halt before they had really gained any distance.

King Vegeta watched as the child's eyes jerked open and stared back at him with barely restrained panic. Her face was extremely pale, glowing softly under the flickering lights of the enraged lightning zipping across the sky like some caged animal pacing and waiting.

"I am still your king," Vegeta gritted out through clinched teeth. "And I did not say you could die again." Since she was part Saiyajin, he did have certain powers over her.

Usagi's eyes were drawn to the blood red symbol flickering directly in the center of the king's forehead. With a hesitant hand that was much more unsteady than normal, she slowly reached up to trace the character not noticing that the king was reaching for hers. Just as their fingers brushed skin – their faces close together – they were sucked into a joint vision.

* * *

_Crash._ King Vegeta stared at the various shards that were remnants of a purple dinner plate.

"Usagi!" his head jerked up and he realized, as he stared into the pinched face of a dark-haired woman, that this wasn't his body as he was a lot shorter than normal.

"What were you thinking! Do I have to teach you some manners!" she stepped forward with clinched fists, her face flushed by the slow creep of red up her neck.

Vegeta felt the first fluttering of fear deep in his gut. "No, Mama. I'll clean it up." King Vegeta then realized as he went down on hands and knees to hastily gather the slivers of porcelain, slicing his fingers repeatedly, that he was trapped within Usagi's memories and had absolutely no control of anything because he certainly wouldn't be kneeling before this woman.

"Useless. You're absolutely useless!" the dark-haired woman spat and shook with something King Vegeta readily recognized as a faltering control of the boiling rage overflowing her consciousness. She was holding on by her fingernails at best.

"Now you're dripping you monkey blood all over my clean kitchen floor. I just mopped!"

The king looked down at his chubby child hands that were covered in a bright crimson coat of blood and felt strangely detached.

"Get out! Get out of my house!"

His head snapped up and to attention when he noticed a particular tone of her voice. He automatically looked to her eyes and swallowed nervously when he found that they were shining with some inner light. Someone used the fingernail clippers.

"Now!" She grabbed him by his golden tresses and bodily dragged him from the floor and out the door.

"I'm sorry, Mama. Please! No!" Usagi's girly voice rose in panic. "Gohan! Help!" King Vegeta felt himself twist around in her mother's grasp, ripping a fair chunk of hair to look at a teen who was staring after them in stunned shock. "Gohan!" Usagi shrieked as lightning flashed ominously across the sky.

Chichi yanked her under the tallest tree in their yard and quickly tied her to a low-riding branch by her extensive length of hair. Usagi had to balance on a protruding root to keep from hanging and losing more hair.

"Gohan! Please!" Usagi reached out her blood-soaked hands to her brother, begging for help.

Gohan was standing now, looked out the window through the pouring rain at her and then spoke quietly to his mother when she came in. A few moments passed as King Vegeta waited for the teenage Saiyajin to reprimand his mother with a well-placed slap or two. Instead the slim teenager bowed his head and looked back with pitying eyes.

"Gohan!" Usagi cried.

The teen hunched his shoulders as if she had struck him before quickly gathering his school books and hurrying to his room

Thunder rattled the tree causing Usagi to slip from the root and into a world of pain. As her tiny feet desperately fought for purchase on the rain-slicked tree root that seemed to grow smaller with each passing moment, frantic tears threatened to spill. She realized that no one was going to help her.

Real panic didn't sit in until lightning streaked through the sky and consumed a tree on the other side of the yard that she and goten used to play on. King Vegeta gulped with Usagi and cast the madly churning heavens a foreboding glance.

'_Shit!'_ he thought with feeling.

Another particularly vicious gust of warm wind forced her from her precarious perch. She clinched her eyes waiting for the abrupt jerking of her scalp and the pain that would follow but instead felt only the warmth of a pair of toned arms cradling her again an equally warm chest. A faint scent penetrated the moist smell of rain, and Usagi knew the identity of her savior without even opening her eyes.

"Trunks," she whispered and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I've got you," the voice of a young boy comforted her along with the slow rubbing of her back. "We're going to get you down now, okay?" Before she could answer, he began speaking to someone else. "Goten, you take her for a second while I untie her hair."

Usagi finally opened her eyes thus allowing the royal eavesdropper to stare into the tortured eyes of a boy who was a carbon copy of the only lower-level captain he had ever conversed with.

"Usa, I –" The boy hugged her close to him. "I didn't know what to do, so I went to get Trunks 'cause he knows everything. I –" he trailed off in shame. "Mom's never done that before."

"Damn it!" Trunks cursed as he struggled against her rain-soaked tresses that refused to turn loose.

Goten glanced at the pitch black sky that seemed to rumble in hunger and search for its next meal . . . mainly them.

"Trunks –"

"I know. I know!" Trunks snapped in frustration.

Goten chewed on his lower lip. "Maybe we should just ki blast the knot?"

King Vegeta heard a furious growl from above. "No! We will not cut her hair. I refuse."

Goten shrank back a little at the ardent response, but he never knew when to leave well enough alone so he asked, "Why not?"

Trunks paused to powder why the thought of Usagi with short hair infuriated him. "Because I wouldn't like it and I said so."

Goten seemed to accept that as an adequate answer and continued to hold his sister in silence.

King Vegeta frowned and wondered who this Trunks was to order around a Saiyajin. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the pressure on her scalp eased and her dripping hair fell to its rightful place by her ankles. Her freedom was gained just in time because a bright flask lit the sky.

"Quick!" Warm arms circled her waist and pulled her and her brother from beneath the bull's-eye of a tree and out into the open just before lightning split the trunk in two and set it a fire.

For a long moment the three of them sat in the mud and stared at the happily munching flames as if in a trance. Usagi watched with morbid horror as the bark slowly withered and blackened beneath the bright orange flames. That could have been her. If Trunks hadn't shown up when he did, if Goten had waited any longer, she wouldn't have made it.

* * *

Usagi looked around at the mass of withered bodies and burning buildings in shock. How did she get here? The putrid stench of scorched flesh overpowered everything else until it caused her eyes to water and her throat to burn.

Someone smacked her in the back of the head. "Shape up boy. How are you supposed to learn anything if you're too busy staring to actually pay attention?"

Usagi blinked. '_Boy?'_ Did she look like a boy? Do boys normally have blonde hair that reached to their ankles?

"Now," the man who looked vaguely like her Vegeta except with hair a unique shade of brown and a neatly trimmed Hitler mustache continued before pulling one of the locals, who strangely resembled a purple reptile with webbed feet, before them. "I saved this one of you."

Usagi looked down at the cowering creature and felt a faint stirring of pity. Somehow, her lack of empathy for the mewling mass that huddled as defeated as his homeland, made her realize that this wasn't her experience but the memory of another. '_King Vegeta…'_

"It's of the reptile species so you had best rip the spine free to ensure a complete death," the man who Usagi deduced to be King Vegeta's father rattle on and on with useful hints and suggestions. "Well, brat, what are you waiting for?"

Usagi stared at the glossy eyes of the beast which seemed to plead and beg for a few more moments of life. Vegeta swallowed.

"Brat! Do it now! Saiyajins don't hesitate. Saiyajin princes are ruthless. They kill. They slaughter and they enjoy every minute of it."

Usagi felt the young king hesitate.

"Are you my son or not? Are you Saiyajin enough?"

Vegeta thrust his bare fingers into the creature's back and watched as it writhed in pain. His fingers brushed bone, and, with a final breath, his eyes clinched tight and he ripped it free.

"I am a Saiyajin."

* * *

King Vegeta stared at the tall glass of milk that had been placed before him by the same dark-haired woman as before. It loomed ominously and seemed to triple in size.

"Drink," the woman had commanded before stepping back to watch.

He looked through Usagi's eyes and felt her dread. '_Why is she scared of a liquid?'_ King Vegeta wondered as he fought down his irritation about being ordered around even though he knew the woman was talking to the brat.

"Drink it now or I'm going to have to remind you, again, how you're always supposed to obey your elders."

Until the woman mentioned it, Vegeta hadn't felt the 'reminders' that ached all over Usagi's body. The puny woman dared to strike a child of a superior race!

With quivering fingers Usagi reached out and grasped the milk with both hands. She cringed and quickly gulped down the cool beverage pausing only to stare at the glittering slush pooling at the bottom. It sparkled and reflected whenever the kitchen lights touched it.

"All of it. Now," Chichi threatened.

Usagi didn't know what the strange slush was until the first gulp. Suddenly the woman's hands were holding her face and forcing the rest of the contents down her throat even though Usagi struggled and thrashed about wildly. Finally, Chichi pulled away and watered her only daughter fall to the floor coughing madly.

Usagi collapsed face down on the chilled tile and clutched her bleeding throat as she stared at the red-coated slush her body had violently rejected. King Vegeta recognized the glittering objects.

Glass.

Slivers of glass.

* * *

"Where is your army?"

Pain.

"I thought that Saiyajins had backbones. After all, you're the _big bad_ bullies of the universe, or," the soldier paused thoughtfully, "are you really all just cowards?"

Another punch was delivered to a young King Vegeta's gut. Usagi watched as the beating continued, gradually growing worse with each blow.

"Your army, Prince. Tell me!" the guard bellowed.

Usagi swallowed in trepidation when the torture session continued with pots of boiling tar, metal mallets to break bones, and strange looking tools Usagi soon learned were used to rip out fingernails. What really amazed the half-Saiyajin was that through it all, the teenaged prince remained utterly silent. He didn't beg for mercy, give away any military secrets, or even scream to vent his pain. There was simply silence. No whimpering. No wincing. Just a stoic main that depicted boredom more than anything.

Usagi watched in awed silence. '_How – How can he say nothing after all that? How can anyone be that strong?'_ She thought of all the times she cried on Goten or Trunks's shoulders, all the times she stepped from sight fearing the wrath of some stranger, all the times her gaze remained glued to the floor even when curiosity burned in her stomach, and of all the times when she longed to play and stare up at the sky and dream silly girl dreams of fairies and princesses. Usagi turned her head from the scene of strength against great pain suddenly feeling ashamed and determined.

'_If I could be like that…'_

"Get in there!"

King Vegeta heard the same woman from before – he was really starting to hate her voice – scream with true fury. '_What now?'_ He felt Usagi's body get picked up and thrown into a room with a dirt floor. Before he could feel properly outraged, he got overwhelmed by Usagi's panic when she recognized the room. It was the basement.

"Please, Mama. Please not again! I'll study harder. I promise," Usagi babbled on incoherently, promising anything and everything to get out of the room.

Her mother's red face and blazing eyes was all the answer she received until, "I will not be made a fool of again, half-monkey brat –"

King Vegeta growled and vowed at that moment that in the event he ever met Kakarot's mate, eh was going to personally execute her in the most painful way possible. Skinning. No one insulted the divine state of Ozzaru; it was a gift from the gods.

Chichi continued, "You will not shame this household with your lazy habits. I told you to have those scrolls memorized by this morning. No offspring of mine will be an idiot!" The woman thundered causing small chunks of dirt to loosen from the ceiling. She leaned down so that mother and daughter were face-to-face and declared in a whisper, "I will not allow you to set a bad example for Goten."

A quick yank later, and the door slammed shut leaving Usagi in a world of darkness. "No! Mama, please!" Usagi ran forward and pounded frantically on the metal door with her tiny fists. "Not again! Mama!"

The faint click of the lock echoed throughout the dark corners of the room and in the king's head as the days passed. He felt Usagi growing weaker until she only had the strength to lie on the floor and stare at the sliver of white light beneath the crack in the locked door.

Her vision began fading. The next thing King Vegeta saw was a gray-washed appendage that took him awhile to discern was a hand. A faint sound that was more breath than anything emerged from Usagi's cracked and bleeding lips in different pitches. The king strained to decipher her whispered words.

"…seven…eight…"

Counting. She was counting. He followed her eyes and looked away to stare into the darkness when he finally realized. She was counting the bones in her hands.

"Usagi!" The door was flung open allowing light to flood in the basement for the first time in over a week. He could just make out a blurry form with a purple crown before all went black.

* * *

"You'll have to kill me first," A figure Usagi more easily recognized as the King Vegeta she was familiar with barked back. He was flanked on both sides by elites and had a fiercely determined expression that occasionally adorned her Vegeta's face when he was training.

A feminine laugh that was high pitched and grating drew Usagi's attention to the other side of the room where a short, horned creature sat in a hovering throne. Usagi frowned. She couldn't tell if it was a girl or a boy.

"Come now, little king. He is just one boy –"

"My son," King Vegeta interrupted, clinching his fists to keep from lashing out.

Usagi blinked and stared at the ruler with surprise. '_H-He would give his life for his son?'_ she thought with awe. This was a man who had been described as ruthless, bloodthirsty, and merciless on more than one occasion. She had never before encountered such selfless actions of a parent in her entire young life.

"Zarbon," the horned creature snapped while keeping a wary eye on the determined monarch standing proudly before him.

A green-haired, blue-skinned alien at his side stepped forward and knelt at his feet. "Yes, my lord Frieza."

Usagi's eyes widened. '_This is Frieza!'_

Oblivious to the disbelief of their silent spectator, Frieza continued, "Can we afford to let the little prince return to his father?"

Zarbon wasted no time in answering. "Prince Vegeta is essential to many of our future campaigns."

"You see?" Frieza turned back to King Vegeta and his small band of soldiers. "It looks like I'm going to have to grant your wish."

The royal Saiyajin frowned in confusion.

Frieza lifted a finger that had a small pinprick of ki at its point. He laughed. "It looks like you're going to have to die after all." The orange ki blast was released. Everything went black.

* * *

The rain was the first thing Usagi noticed when she receded within her own body once more. It was soft and warm, sliding down her bare face and arms and drenching her hair causing it to grow heavy. Thunder rumbled high above.

"Were they real?" a harsh voice honed by decades of barking commands rasped in a quiet whisper. "The last vision with a dragon and the others…were they real?"

Usagi slowly opened her eyes to stare into a pair of black Saiyajin ones. "Yes," she whispered, knowing what he had seen. "Those were my memories." Just as she knew the visions she had of him were his.

"That woman, she was your mother?" King Vegeta asked not wanting for it to be true. Even among the Saiyajin race where compassion was replaced with apathy a mother did not try and kill her offspring for no reason.

Usagi looked at the ground, at the splattering mud. "Yes."

King Vegeta grabbed her face and jerked it up so that they looked each other directly in the eyes. "Don't look away. Don't be ashamed. Saiyajins fear nothing! She is nothing!"

Usagi stared at this man with wide eyes and let his words seep in. He had seen her past, her death. '_C-Could he be right?'_

King Vegeta watched as she struggled with his words. He stood and offered her a hand. "You are a Saiyajin; stand and be recognized as one."

Usagi frowned. '_Is being a Saiyajin a bad thing?'_ She had been taught that to be one was to be an abomination, a beast, a plague upon all those she loved. Then, she remembered the visions she just saw. King Vegeta refusing to betray his people even when tortured. King Vegeta dieing while trying to save his only son. So, who was she to believe? Her mother or her king?

Usagi took his hand and stood leaving all of her guilt, her fear, her hurt on the muddied soil of her homeland. She was a half-Saiyajin; it's time she started listening to her better half.

Lightning split the sky and streaked down heading straight for her. With her quick reflexes, she reached above her head and caught it with her outstretched palm. It pulsated and struggled to bread free of her grasp.

"Not again," she whispered through gritted teeth. With a fierce jerk she slung the light away from her and watched with the crowd as the bolt incinerated the palace gate in one quick flash of light.

The clouds above began to break apart and drift away into the night sky.

Everyone looked at the charred remains of the gate in silence.

Bardock stepped forward. "T-Taresa. Usagi," he paused. "I didn't know that this," he waved to indicate the lighting and the storm, "would happen. I –"

"I know you didn't," Usagi interrupted and gave him a brief hug. She stared at the sky and the smoking gate for a long moment before turning back to her grandfather with a little grin, "You can make it up to me by letting me stay the night with you." She continued more softly, "I don't think I can handle that empty room with that big bed right now."

He looked into her troubled eyes and saw that while she appeared to have made a big decision regarding her life, there were still some details she had to mentally iron out. "Okay," he agreed and watched her walk away.

He frowned and called after her. "Why? Why did you forgive me so easily? You could have died."

Usagi paused before continuing to make her way through the parting soldiers. "Because you see me," she called over her shoulder. "Because you are a good person even though you were raised not to be." She reached the palace door and opened it. "Because you are the only family I have left."

Bardock and the king watched as she disappeared into the palace. "That girl," the king observed a few minutes later, "I'm surprised she survived as long as she did."

"Because of her mother?" Bardock asked.

King Vegeta swung around to face his top scientist. "You knew!"

Bardock shrugged. "I guessed. She never talked about her like she did her younger brother or her friend, and she always acted as though she were following some set of rules that had been drilled into her head. Since she told me she never really knew her father, her mother was the only one who could do that."

"And her older brother," the king remarked.

Bardock immediately protested. "No Saiyajin, not even a half-breed would –"

"He stood passively and watched."

"Why would –" Before Bardock could finish a messenger burst from the palace to skid to a halt before the king.

"Your Majesty, the Zihao Royalty just landed at the Southern Platform."

King Vegeta blinked. The Zihao Dynasty ruled over a planet on the other side of their solar system. They were the reigning tyrants of this area before Vegeta-sei was sent into the next dimension and the Saiyajins slaughtered the Zihao forces that attempted to take possession of their planet. Over the past few years the Zihao and the Saiyajins created an alliance of sorts in which they jointly kept vigil over the surrounding systems and equally shared in the riches. The Zihao were allies. King Vegeta snorted. '_Saiyajins need no allies.'_

"Show them to the throne room. Bardock," he turned to address the captain as the messenger and the surrounding servants scrambled inside to make the necessary arrangements. "Have Usagi readied by the priestesses so that those foreigners can meet Taresa."

Bardock bowed.

* * *

"She is no goddess!"

Usagi continued forward even though some rude boy was sneering and shouting degrading comments at her.

"He may have a point," a gray-haired man of huge proportions added while studying her critically. "I wasn't aware Saiyajins had a pantheon much less worshipped some child. You must be mistaken," the foreign leader addressed his ally.

King Vegeta cocked an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting that you know more about my religion than I do?"

A brave soldier snickered.

The Zihao king jumped to his feet. "One of you dares to laugh at me?" He regarded an assembly of soldiers. "I demand their lives for this insult!"

King Vegeta rolled his eyes and was secretly pleased with his men; his grin told them as much. "Sit down old man. You and your son haven't been here an hour and you're already asking something of me? Stay here at least a night before you start requiring my soldiers' lives to sooth your battered ego."

The boy stared at the Saiyajin king who had spoken with such authority and felt genuine respect for him when he saw his father back down. He would win this Saiyajin's admiration. He would be strong like his father only pretended to be. What better way than to prove this would-be goddess a fraud? "She is no goddess; I'll prove it!"

Before anyone could react, the prince charged a newly washed and dressed Usagi. He pulled back his hand and smacked her clean across her face.

Her head whipped to the side and she staggered back but remained on her feet. Usagi's cheek throbbed and she felt blood trickle from the corner of her mouth, but paid them no thought as she slowly turned her head to regard the boy prince who was beginning his teenage years and still couldn't throw a decent punch. She looked him up and down measuring him for any value he may have as a creature, and watched him grow rigid beneath her silent stare.

Without a single word, she stepped pass him and continued to her king's side. He was no threat to her; he wasn't strong enough.

"You dare to hurt our lady?" Commander Thor stepped forward, prepared to pummel the spoiled prince into an early grave.

Jidu, Zihao's prince, became enraged at being ignored by some female child as if he wasn't significant enough to even acknowledge. With clinched fists he spun around to grab her, but at the last moment she disappeared only to reappear out of striking distance.

"How did you –? Come back here!" Every time he lunged for her, she slipped away.

Ten minutes later he collapsed to his knees with ragged breath while Usagi stood two arm's lengths away looking at pristine as she did when she walked in except for the deep bruise rapidly forming on her right cheek.

"Damn, she's fast," the Zihao king muttered in appreciation.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Raseri's Seer barged into the throne room at top speed.

King Vegeta mentally growled. '_Just how many more interruptions are there going to be today?'_ Aloud he asked, "What is it?"

"Another vision, sire. I-I awoke and knew. I just knew," he babbled on.

The Saiyajin king gritted his teeth and reached for patience. "You knew what?"

"I-I felt the same I did before Taresa arrived. It is the same! A coming of a great force, of great power." The old man turned to Usagi. "Taresa, I believe your mate is coming for you."

* * *

AN: I know this was a long time in coming, but I had the end of my senior year to take care of and this IS 35 typed pages so I figured ya'll would forgive me. Trunks will be in the next chapter I promise! I'm going off to China in less than a two weeks so the next chapter might be a little while in coming too, but it's a 24 hour flight one way so I'll have plenty of time to write!

As for the survey that I sent out…heh, heh…bad choice of words. By Yankee I meant Notherners (of the US) not the baseball team, so sorry for the confusion. It seems I have fans from Australia, Canada, Mexico, England, New Zealand, the Netherlands as well as the United States. Wow. I had no idea that this fic reached that far…hmm…I'm going to have to be a little more careful in my writing what with different measurement systems and little things like that…I also reached well within the US including South Carolina, Florida, Washington, Texas, New York, California, Ohio, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Arizona, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Missouri, and Oklahoma. If I missed anyone please tell me. Okay. REVIEW! I want to hear what you think of the developments of things in this chapter. Again, sorry for the delay and remember, the longer you have to wait the longer the chapter usually is. Review!


	16. Reunited

**Chapter 15**

The landscape was very dry. Sandy hills rolling along the horizon were occasionally interrupted by twisted trees struggling to survive. The humidity was almost insufferable, suffocating every living thing and drenching them in a filmy layer of perspiration. Trunks looked around dubiously._ 'This was it?'_ This was the home his father waxed poetic about for hours on end?

'_You've got to be kidding me.'_

The young prince glanced up at his father. "You're sure we're on the right planet? Maybe that…blue creature thing had no sense of direction," he tried not to sound too hopeful.

Vegeta glared at his son from the corner of his eye – an intimidating look he had perfected years earlier when he was first informed of his impending fatherhood – and reached out with his considerable reflexes to thump Trunks on the back of his head. "What were you expecting, brat? A red carpet and someone to hand out hot towels?"

Trunks kicked a rock near his shoe as he massaged the aching lump at the base of his skull and looked away in shame. He fought to ignore the suffocating humidity that already had his fighting gi molded to his body and sweat trickling down the base of his spine.

"This is all that woman's fault. She's spoiled my only offspring, my flesh and blood," his father continued to mumble to himself as he scanned the planet for ki levels indicating civilization.

"What did I expect? She is a woman after all…"

Trunks tuned out the familiar rant; he already had it memorized. This was the home of his ancestors, where countless kings ruled with iron fists and unyielding pride, and – more importantly – where Usagi might be. He clinched his hands and fought down the strange churning in his stomach that he couldn't readily identify and wasn't sure he wanted to.

Suddenly his father's head snapped to attention, interrupting his train of thought, "We need to move; the scouts would have already detected us."

"Scouts?" Trunks asked and stretched out his senses. In the distance he felt two minuscule ki signatures speeding towards them.

"Lower your ki," his father snapped before answering his question. "Their puny scouters would have picked up our entry." Vegeta frowned and looked at his son's determined face and knew that he couldn't deter him for long. Patience wasn't a trait associated with Saiyajins.

"I sense a faint trace of the blonde brat." That immediately perked Trunks's attention. "You find her while I confuse the slow-ass scouts. Keep your ki low and fly slowly; anything moving above a certain speed is immediately tracked."

Trunks didn't hear the rest of his father's advice as he immediately locked onto a ki signature he never thought he'd feel again. It wasn't too far away – not that the distance mattered much since he traveled all the way to the afterlife just to see her – but she was surrounded by many foreign ki prints. He frowned. No amount of Saiyajins were going to keep him from her. He'd take on the whole planet if he had to.

Vegeta watched in silence as his son's face transformed into something harsh and determined. The young boy seemed older and more defined, to an extreme degree, as people who suffer tremendous trauma tend to be. He matured almost painfully fast after experiencing the death of both father and friend in one day. Vegeta sighed. It seemed the royal bloodline of Vegeta-sei never have easy childhoods. '_Maybe that's why we're so harsh?'_ He pondered objectively while reflecting on his own adolescence under the tyranny of Frieza. Finally, the annoying tugging of the approaching scouts' kis prompted him into action.

"Well, Trunks?" he questioned using his son's given name for the first time in months. Through his offspring's suffering he felt closer to him as if they now shared a common experience, as if through the searing pain and scalding tears they had proven themselves as warriors who persevered, who survived despite the crushing odds. "What are you waiting for?"

Trunks stared into his father's coal black, soulless eyes and understood, for perhaps the first time, who his father truly was. He saw himself in a few decades if he had to continue suffering and losing the things he cared about. This man, this prince was offering him a way out, a chance to truly live without the burden of grief and anger to shackle him to his pride for the rest of his life. He was offering his son the opportunity to not turn into him.

Trunks paused and thought about his father's question. Why was he hesitating? Why was he standing there and not taking back what he had lost – a chance that was never offered to his father? Maybe that was it. Maybe he didn't want to accept this chance and appear too weak to live without Usagi.

He tore his eyes away from his father's face and looked to the direction where Usagi's ki pulsed with life. Could he live without her? Did she have such a strong hold over him? He thought about the last few months when he slept restlessly and continued to worry about where she was and what she was doing. He clinched his fists and remembered how he would wonder if she was happy and content without him. He scowled.

He struggled to push down his anger-induced power spike, to keep his ki level low and, finally, spun around to face his father, his role model. That was it. He was willing to take this chance at gaining everything that would make him happy. He was willing to appear cowardly in his father's eyes because he couldn't allow one thing. No longer was he going to let Usagi live and be happy without him.

"Nothing," he finally answered. "I'm waiting for nothing and for no one."

Vegeta watched his heir disappear into the horizon with a proud smirk. The boy was braver than his predecessor.

* * *

Trunks ignored the startled stares at his unusual coloring as he examined the bricked building with flashing symbols of the Saiyajin language. She was in there. A few paces away. He wiped his palms against his baggy gi pants and drew in a deep shuddering breath. Why was he so nervous all of a sudden?

He jerked his head in denial and forced himself to remember the torture of the past few months. His shoulders squared and his resolve once again steady, he marched through the swinging doors as if he owned them. He had been groomed and trained since infancy to recognize his supremacy over lesser beings. He was their prince. One day, all that they had worked for – their very lives – would belong solely to him, and it was time they knew it.

After a quick scan of the establishment, he waltzed in with his cocky grin firmly in place. Nothing in the building – or on the planet for that matter – could even touch him.

Initially he noticed that the musty air was tented with the sickeningly sweet smell of too many people sweating and breathing on each other. He briefly paused in the doorway to stare out at the sea of dark hair and white armor. All the Saiyajins had shoved themselves into steel chairs and stools that were a little too small to accommodate their great bulk. Each seemed to overshadow their surroundings until one only saw a mass of muscles and tan skin instead of a table loaded with drinks surrounded by off-duty soldiers.

Trunks wasted no time deciphering the conversations he could now understand thanks to his father's rushed lessons during sparring practice. Before he walked three steps an old man behind the bar began screaming at him and shaking his wrinkled fist. A few heads turned.

Trunks ignored them, whirled sharply to his right, and began walking directly to where he felt Usagi. Everyone towered above him, so he had to rely on his senses to lead him back to her.

"Move it, puny brat," a deep voice snapped out from above him.

Trunks stopped walking when he noticed a pair of tree trunk thighs that were blocking his path. His jaw ticked as his annoyance at the delay began to surface. '_As if having to wait five months isn't enough, this idiot decides _now_ to pick a fight?_ཀ' He didn't even bother to look this fool in the face.

"Move."

Deep Voice barked with laughter. "Are you shittin' me?" To his buddies sitting at the table behind him, he called back, "Hey, ya'll, this little shit thinks he can order me around."

Trunks clinched his fists. "Move."

Deep Voice paused in his chuckling and stared down at the purple-haired child with all seriousness. "You would truly dare, brat?" He appraised his opponent for a moment. "You barely reach my waist. I'd murder you," he finished with a sadistic grin.

Trunks still refused to even acknowledge him with the slightest glance.

The Saiyajin shrugged his massive shoulders. "Your funeral," and began cracking his knuckles.

Trunks stood stiffly, torn between his Saiyajin blood's yearning for battle and a strange instinct telling him to get to Usagi as fast as possible. As the man fell into a fighting stance and began rushing him, Trunks came to a decision. He grinned, he'll simply do a little of both by ending the fight as quickly as possible. He sidestepped Deep Voice's massive fist and ducked under to land a punch directly in his solar plexus. The giant immediately fell to his knees gasping for breath.

"Come on, Bamato. He couldn't have hit you that hard," one of his companions from the nearby table commented suspiciously.

"Yeah, stop being over dramatic," another one called out.

Deep Voice, alias Bamato, fell face forward and fought to stay conscious.

Trunks stepped on the prone body's heaving back causing a grunt of pain to wheeze out before stepping down and continuing on his journey across the room to Usagi.

The table containing Bamato's companions was strangely silent. Trunks paused to stare at the metal table blocking his path. A quick flick of his wrist solved the problem.

"Hey, bratཀ Who do you think you are?ཀ" a brunette Saiyajin asked while staring at the puddle of beer drenching his pristine white boots and the upturned table now resting against the bar.

Trunks kept walking.

"Hey, I was talking to youཀ Don't walk away from meཀ" When the disgruntled friend still didn't get a reaction, his anger doubled. "You think you're hot stuff, huh? Well, I bet you can't take all of us at onceཀ" At this the three other men stepped forward with clinched fists. By now they had attracted a small crowd. Not only was there another child in the bar when it was forbidden, but said child was now facing down four second-class warriors at once.

Trunks kept walking, his mind firmly set on getting to Usagi. The lack of challenge after he had expected _some_ skill was horribly disappointing. He had better things to do with his time.

The new leader growled in annoyance and launched himself at the child, followed closely by his three comrades.

The Saiyajin prince flung a ki ball over his shoulder almost haphazardly. One of the lackeys wasn't expecting a tiny brat to have such advanced skills with ki and thus didn't have time to block or dodge.

Trunks waited until he felt the leader get within a hair's breadth distance before he whipped around with a restrained kick, solidly planting his foot in the man's face. Trunks smirked, '_No great loss there. Maybe the bruises and swelling will improve his looks.'_ In soaring back, the once outspoken leader crashed into one of his friends taking him down and out.

And then there was only one.

Trunks glanced at the last one while slowly forming a ki ball in his stretched fingers. The man wisely backed down. Saiyajins were audacious and brave by nature, but they were far from stupid. They knew when they were outclassed.

The bar was completely silent as everyone watched with amazement as this strange child bested an entire team of second-level soldiers without taking a single hit. '_Hell,'_ Celeric thought as he watched the boy absorb the energy and continue walking, this time without any resistance. "_He didn't even break a sweat.'_

Trunks kept his eyes glued on the black-leathered chair he sensed belonged to Usagi. He could feel his heart speed up a little with each step. She was right there. Should he run to her and end the suspense? Why wasn't she watching him like everyone else? He had a stray panicked thought. '_Did she forget me?'_

Celeric rushed to stand the moment he realized that the strange boy was heading for Usagi. '_He'll not hurt Taresa-sama. I won't allow it.'_ Before he could step forward and challenge the boy, a hand grabbed his elbow. He looked back at Bardock in confusion. Of everyone on the planet, he expected Bardock to be standing at his side protecting the goddess.

Bardock shook his head at the Commander without breaking his gaze with the boy. There was something about this brat that was tugging at his memory. He knew he had never seen him or anything remotely like him before. '_So why do I hesitate?'_ He looked closer and realized that unlike every other person in the room, this little pipsqueak of a boy had no halo. '_He's not dead? Then how –'_

A slow grin spread across his face as he released his boss's arm and settled back in his chair. This would be entertaining. '_Lavender, just as she said.'_

Celeric stood down reluctantly. He respected Bardock for his intelligence and knew that the man wouldn't willingly allow anything to happen to his granddaughter.

"I wish to speak with Usagi," Trunks announced to the people at her table, fully expecting someone to object.

A voice – he didn't bother looking to match a face with it – answered in an amused tone, "If you can wake her, then by all means, converse."

Trunks relaxed a little when he heard that she was asleep. At least now he knew that she wasn't purposefully ignoring him. The side of his mouth twitched when he heard that she was giving them hell with her sleeping schedule. '_Same old Usa.'_

He floated up to her level and slowly turned her chair to face him, torturing himself by prolonging the suspense. Suddenly, after months of depression and worry, there she was dressed in silky, fine clothes the like of which she had never worn before. With a telling shaky hand he reached out and ran his fingers through her blonde hair. Same texture. He stared at her peaceful face relaxed with sleep and breathed a sigh of relief. Same structure.

Carefully, he slipped his arms under her legs and back to support her as he floated them down. It seemed wise to wake her when they were both on solid ground. As he suspected, she didn't stir in the least. He closed his eyes and held her for a moment. Same feel.

He set her down on the only area of the floor that wasn't spotted with beer or blood near the center of the room. Slowly he trickled his fingers down the side of her torso, tickling her. She shifted slightly; a smile flittered across her face. He tickled her again and watched with everyone else as she squirmed and finally opened her eyes. Blue met blue. Trunks felt happiness bubble up deep within him at his very core. He had been waiting for this, agonizing over every little detail of their reunion for the past five months. This was his Usagi. This was –

"Just five more minutes, Trunks," she groaned in annoyance and turned over on the floor.

– absolutely absurd. '_What is she thinking?_ཀ' He crouched there and stared at her softly snoring figure in stunned silence. '_This can't be happening. There has been a mistake. Maybe they switched her with a pod person?'_ He looked down and immediately dismissed that idea. She appeared all too normal physically. '_Maybe the whole dying thing permanently screwed with her brain circuits?'_

For a long moment he simply stared down at her in complete shock. If she had pulled a sledgehammer from thin air and nailed him between the eyes, he wouldn't have been more surprised. He frowned.

"So that's how it is. I spent five months worrying and wondering until I finally get the opportunity to travel to the Next Dimension where I can see you. I wait in a line that made even the ones at the amusement parks pale in comparison and seemed to stretch until the second coming of Christ, only to hear you say 'five more minutes'?ཀ"

Her eyes didn't so much as flutter.

He frowned as an idea sparked his mind. "Fine. It's obvious that you don't need me, so I'll just leave." With that parting comment he climbed to his feet and began slowly walking away. He didn't get two paces when she bolted awake.

"Trunksཀ Waitཀ" she yelled frantically, her hand outstretched while she still sat on the floor.

The surrounding Saiyajins watched with held breath. Their Taresa knew this stranger?

An imperceptible tremble shook the young prince's frame as the long-awaited sound of her voice washed over him once more. He had begun to doubt ever hearing it again. He took a deep breath and turned.

Usagi's eyes drank in the sight of him. She wasn't sure how long it had been since last they met, but she was certain that she never wanted to be parted from him for that long ever again. Everything seemed surreal, as if she were living a dream. '_If this is a dream, let me sleep forever.'_

Trunks stared into her cerulean eyes and felt the tightness in his shoulders ease ever so slightly. He slowly linked their fingers. This was his friend, and he refused to let her go anywhere without him to keep her safe. Palm touched palm.

Suddenly so little contact was not enough, and in a move that startled the Saiyajins Usagi launched herself into his arms. She wrapped her quaking limbs around his waist and pressed her face into his shoulder. Until that moment she hadn't realized just how much she had missed him and how deeply his absence had affected her. Never again. She could never lose this again. This was heaven. This was home.

Trunks sighed and pulled her closer. It had really been too long for both of them. It was times like these when he wondered how he even survived the first year of his life without her. As soon as his mind processed that she was with him again, where she belonged, that she was safe at last, the familiar churning deep in his belly surfaced again. He tried to push it away, tried to savor the happiness of the reunion for just a moment longer, but this bubbling emotion rose swiftly and with a vengeance. Reluctantly, he gave it a name. Anger. Rage.

One minute Usagi was relishing the half-Saiyajin contact that had been noticeably absent these long months, and then she was violently jerked from her comfortable reverie and flung against the bar. A few Saiyajins stepped forward, unsure if they should protect her from her friend. Their scouters began to beep in unison, measuring the spikes of power radiating from the youth.

"Why?" Trunks whispered as he shook with barely leashed rage. He bowed his head to keep from looking at her, certain that the wrong expression on her face would set his hair-trigger temper off resulting in the deaths of many. "Why did you do it?"

Usagi held her breath as his anger washed over her. Never had she seen him this mad before. Not at her. Not so suddenly. She hadn't expected anger from him. Hurt? Maybe. Confusion? Of course. But, true anger? Why would he feel that? She gulped silently and remembered back to that eventful day so many months ago. It seemed but a distant memory. Indeed, it was another lifetime. The deaths. Tears. Sadness. Defeat. It all seemed so jumbled and hazy. The only two things that stood out vividly in her mind were Trunks' tear-stained cheeks framing his desolate eyes and the deep resolve she felt in repaying him for his friendship, in making him happy.

Reluctantly she whispered, "You were so sad, Trunks." Her voice barely carried to the Saiyajin eavesdroppers. "I..." she began, trailing off as emotions from that long-ago day swamped her once more. "I never want to see you sad. I had to fix it somehow."

The surrounding Saiyajins silently watched with bated breath as the drama unfolded. The far-reaching patrons that sat in the booths along the walls of the bar created peripheral noise of laughter, brawling, and drinking which was ignored in the wake of such raw emotion.

Trunks' head jerked up, and Usagi gasped when she saw that his eyes were filled with hostility and behind that - distantly - pain. Before any of the Saiyajins could react, he swung and buried his entire fist into the side of the bar right next to her head; his rage had to be released somehow. Usagi stared at her lifelong friend with wide eyes and for the first time, she feared him. She feared his great capacity for violence and how it seemed to override his reason. She looked into his turbulent eyes and knew that she was looking into the soul of someone who was born and bred to lead armies to victory, to be ruthless in all things, to seek out and exploit every weakness showing mercy to no one. She feared this warrior within.

"How do you think I felt?ཀ How do you think I felt watching you die?ཀ Watching you sacrifice your life when I could do _nothing_ཀ What were you thinking?ཀ" he shrieked into the vast silence that had descended over the crowd.

Usagi simply leaned against the bar as her knees began to weaken against his formidable anger. She had never thought... "I didn't think that it would matter that much."

Trunks bowed his head again. His shaking was worse as the tormenting memories washed through his mind for the umpteenth time. She could feel each shuddering breath against her shoulder. He was that close. For a long moment he simply stood there saying nothing, then - quietly - he admitted in a halting whisper. "I transformed. I ascended to the second level."

While the surrounding Saiyajins were confused by this admission, Usagi's eyes widened in horror. The second level of Super Saiyajin. She remembered Vegeta telling her that it could only be obtained in the wake of extreme emotion after extensive training. That he would do so after her death illustrated how deeply their friendship ran.

"I-I..." she was speechless. What was she supposed to say to something like that? Her mother never made rules that covered this situation. So, lamely, she settled on a completely inadequate response. "I'm sorry, Trunks."

He let his head drop to rest against her shoulder as he forcibly calmed himself. His anger was too potent and had no release, so he forcibly pushed it aside. "Promise me, Usa." He drew in a long, complete breath. "Promise me that you'll never sacrifice yourself again, not for anything, not for anyone."

Usagi swallowed and seriously thought about it. She wanted to erase the tormented look in his eyes, but did she seriously want to swear to never give her life for her loved ones? Could she really do that? Her silence caused Trunks to still and lift his head to stare her in the eyes.

She frowned, her indecision apparent.

Trunks smirked mischievously and tried, almost in desperation, to lighten the heavy mood. "If you don't promise then I'm not going to show you my surprise."

Usagi's interest perked up. "Surprise? What surprise?" Her curiosity knew no bounds. What could he possibly think could be so great an influence that she would swear helplessness?

Trunks grinned and shook his head. "Nope. You have to promise first and then I'll tell you."

Usagi frowned in frustration. They hadn't even been together for an hour and he was already torturing her. '_Hmm...two can play at this game.'_ She recalled her transformation into her 'goddess' state complete with wings and knew that Trunks would love to see it. "Well, if you don't tell me your surprise then I just won't tell you mine."

Despite wanting to, Trunks couldn't dismiss her smug little grin. "What surprise?" he echoed her uncertainly. Payback was a bitch. Trunks looked over at the warrior that had stood to protect her from him. "What surprise?" he restated, demanding an answer from this warrior.

Celeric looked at Usagi in confusion until she made the curving motions around her body and silently mouthed 'the dress' until he understood and had to fight to hide a grin. Trunks whipped his head around only to find her standing inconspicuously with an innocent look on her face.

"Tell me," Trunks demanded not liking her keeping secrets from him.

She shook her head. "You first."

He stomped his foot in irritation. "I need to have Goten here to show you," he admitted grudgingly as he brought to mind his transformation into Gotenks. She would really get a kick out of seeing her two favorite people becoming one and the same.

Usagi grinned and shook her head. "Well, then I guess you're just going to have to wait for my surprise then."

Trunks growled in irritation. Since when did she keep things from him, anyway? Slowly his curiosity was shoved to the back burner as his seriousness returned. This was too important to be forgotten for long. "You still need to promise me," he reminded her quietly.

Casually, she slipped a hand behind her back and crossed her fingers in the timeless move that would negate everything she was about to promise. "How about I promise to never leave you again?"

Trunks stared at her for a long, agonizing moment wondering at her hesitation. Finally, he came to the conclusion that since he was never going to sacrifice himself then she wouldn't have to either. They looped pinkies - an action that Bardock immediately noticed - and vowed together.

Trunks' anger was just beginning to evaporate when he caught sight of a fading bruise across her cheek. Usagi stilled when he suddenly took hold of her chin and turned it so that he could get a clear view of the mark. She quit breathing.

"What happened here?" he asked needlessly, having already noticing the familiar shape of a hand print that too often had decorated her body in the past. If that had gone unnoticed, then her traditional response of lowering her eyes to the floor would have alerted him immediately.

Without preamble, he dragged her over to the Saiyajin from before that had given him permission - as if he needed such a thing from a mere soldier - to speak to her. Just as he was about to demand an answer to her abuse, he noticed the face of the man and halted in shock.

"Goten?"

Bardock chuckled and shook his head. "Nope, but I get that a lot."

Trunks furrowed his brow. "No...Kakarot?"

Bardock rose an eyebrow at the mention of his youngest offspring. He knew that he resembled this mysterious 'Goten' but he didn't know that he also bore a strong resemblance to his son. Genetics were strange little creatures.

Usagi pulled from Trunks' grasp and stepped up to his side. "That's Bardock. He's my grandpa."

Trunks looked the Kakarot look-alike over taking in his stiffening figure, the scar running the length of his cheek, the intelligence of his gaze. Without breaking eye contact with the full-blooded Saiyajin, Trunks addressed Usagi. "And does he see you?"

Bardock tensed, knowing that the innocent question was more than it seemed. He recalled the callous way her maternal grandfather treated her and knew that Usagi's answer would dictate whether he walked away or dragged his limp and bloody carcass from the bar.

Usagi touched Trunks' shoulder in an effort to break the staring match and to calm him. "He sees me so well that sometimes he wishes he didn't."

Trunks slowly nodded and glanced back at her. Looking at her bruised face suddenly reminded him of why he approached the strange man in the first place. With a princely demeanor, he addressed the lower-ranking soldier. "Are you loyal to the royal family, soldier?"

Bardock immediately leapt to his feet in outrage. "You dare to suggest that I'm not?ཀ"

Trunks regarded the ruffled Saiyajin who had jumped to defend his honor even though he knew that he stood no chance of winning against a superior fighter. He nodded in satisfaction, an action that seemed far too mature for someone so young. "Then tell me truthfully, has anyone hurt Usagi while she's been here?"

Bardock shifted uncomfortably. For a moment the regret he felt that she had been harmed at all while under his guardianship briefly held his tongue. Celeric had no qualms and immediately blurted out, "There's been two people."

Trunks shifted his attention to the elite soldier and waited patiently.

Usagi tugged at Trunks' arm. "You don't have to worry about it. It's over and done with. That happened a long time ago."

Celeric hesitated when he saw the naked distress in his goddess's eyes.

Bardock studied the young prince and leaned back in his chair when he realized that this brat protected his own. Maybe a modicum of revenge could be gained after all. "After being here a week, Nappa beat her within an inch of her life, or death I should say."

Usagi tensed. "Bardock, I don't think-"

Trunks stepped forward, interrupting her. "And where would I find this Nappa?"

Celeric look startled. "You can't possibly think to challenge him. He'd laugh in your face and then smear your flesh into the floor. He'd –"

Bardock grinned, deciding to test the little prince. "He's the strongest fighter in this room, the strongest one on the planet save for the king."

Trunks tensed and immediately reached out with his senses until he felt the strongest flare of ki on the far side of the room. He studied his enemy's ki signature from afar and after a small moment came to the conclusion that the Saiyajin was a weakling in comparison. This was going to be fun.

Trunks pulled Usagi around him and pushed her so that she was facing Bardock's legs, away from the room. "Stay right here, Usa. Don't look until I tell you too 'cause you don't need to see this."

"Trunks–"

"Don't argue with me!"

Usagi fell quiet. Trunks had changed over the past few months. He was harder now, more commanding, more volatile. More of a warrior prince. She wasn't sure if she liked how he had evolved. '_It's your fault,'_ some nagging voice bit out harshly. '_You _had_ to sacrifice yourself. You made him this way.'_ Usagi chewed her lip and did as he told; it was the least she owed him.

Trunks turned to stare Bardock in the eyes. "Keep her there." He spun on his heel and walked confidently into the crowd knowing that the lower soldier would not disobey him.

Bardock knew an order when he heard one.

"Can you believe that brat?" one brown-haired Saiyajin asked incredulously when he was sure that the object in question was beyond hearing range. "He thinks to order around a soldier. Hah! That will be the day." A few other soldiers murmured their agreements, but all were careful to not speak too loudly lest they end up like their comrades withering on the floor in pain.

Bardock said nothing. They were in a big surprise when they realized that that particular brat was no ordinary youth, but was a son of their planet, the last heir to their throne.

"Is the boy crazy? Did he hit his head or something? Anyone with a lick of sense knows not to challenge an elite - and Nappa at that."

Usagi clutched at her grandfather's leg. Her whisper carried to the crowd and silenced them for one confused moment. "Nappa doesn't stand a chance." She sounded so certain.

Trunks pushed his way through the dense crowd and stalked up to the boisterous table that housed a group of elites. They laughed and drank, carelessly sloshing the liquid about, not knowing that their ignorant little worlds were about to get screwed all to hell and back again. Trunks smirked. There were no rules here. He could beat someone to his heart's content and not get arrested, not be reprimanded or looked down on. There was so much freedom and all because he was stronger, faster, better. It made him wish he could live here all year round. But, oh, this would be so much fun.

"Are you the one they call Nappa?"

The giant warriors stopped mid laugh and sneered down at him. "What's it too you brat? Get out of here. I don't want to have to look at your ugly face," said the only bald one at the table.

Trunks stared him in the eyes for a long moment, issuing a challenge with his body language that didn't go unnoticed to the seasoned veterans. "Do you enjoy beating little girls in your spare time?" he asked as if he were filling out some survey.

Nappa blinked down in confusion. "I don't have time for your idiot questions. Leave before I decide to really have some fun and beat you til you can't bleed anymore." Just like that, the big warrior turned back to his friends and began a belching competition.

Trunks was not amused. He jumped on the table and squatted down so that he was eye level with the angry elite. "A blond girl named Usagi. Does she ring a bell anywhere in that idiot mind of yours?" he prompted.

Nappa barred his teeth at the imposing brat. "I'm just going to have to teach you a lesson in manners aren't I, brat." He chuckled darkly. "Yeah, I remember that girl brat too. Weak. It was so easy to break her little body. Each punch and another bone broke; I could put it to music. No one that weak deserves to live even in death."

Trunks clinched his fists and smirked like his father. Oh, this was going to feel so good. "I just wanted you to know why I was going to beat the shit out of you 'cause even idiots deserve to know why they're in so much pain."

Nappa and all his friends started laughing hysterically like he had said some joke.

Trunks grinned as his well-placed kick in the big bald man's jaw sent him flying into the nearby wall. The elite stopped laughing real quick, seeing as it was a difficult

task to do when your jaw is broken. Not one to miss an opportunity, Trunks immediately launched himself at the prone Saiyajin. No mercy.

Bardock joined the masses as his jaw slackened and his eyes grew wide as he watched the impossible become real. This couldn't be happening. It - No brat, no _child_ of royal blood or not could defeat the greatest warrior of their planet, not at his age. The boy couldn't be more than eight years old. Bardock looked down when he felt Usagi stiffen as each contact of flesh echoed across the room. He was surprised that she could hear it over the insane cheering between the elites and the lower-level soldiers. There was really no point in the elites cheering on their leader because it was sickeningly obvious after only a few minutes that the pompous Saiyajin didn't stand a chance. Nappa might as well been fighting Frieza for all the effect his punches were having, and what added insult to injury was the fact that Trunks wasn't even winded. Bardock had never seen someone move so fluidly, so fast with what appeared to be natural grace. In all the battles he had fought across so many different species, this technique was totally beyond comparison in almost every aspect.

Usagi gripped his pants leg tighter, trying to mask her agitation at the unseen violence taking place behind her. Bardock couldn't understand why she was being so apprehensive about this. After all, she was finally getting revenge, compensation for all the pain she needlessly had to suffer.

"Usagi." The nauseating noise had finally ceased along with the cheers, replaced with only an eerie silence and one boy's commanding voice. She shrank a little when she heard it. "Usagi, turn around. I have something for you."

She took a deep breath, valiantly ignoring the sweet scent of blood that permeated the air, and slowly turned to face her childhood friend. A horrified gasp escaped before she had the chance to stifle it. Trunks stood one foot pressed against Nappa's back - holding him down. He palmed the elite's bald head holding him up, his nails digging in to the point that he drew blood.

Usagi stared into the unfamiliar black and swollen eyes that were framed by small streams of blood trickling down his cheeks. His face was distorted beyond recognition. His eyes were clouded with terror - perhaps for the first time in his life. She saw into his soul and she saw fear. This giant of a warrior feared true death. Slowly her eyes drifted up to stare into the familiar frostbitten eyes of her best friend. It wasn't much of an improvement. There was a great degree of satisfaction, a power-induced high, anger, and determination. She stared and wondered at her findings.

"Apologize," Trunks barked to the man cowering on the floor beneath him. A few Saiyajins in the crowd jumped, startled at the fierce command.

Usagi dragged her eyes back to the soldier waiting to hear something that rarely passed the lips of this proud race.

Nappa cringed as the death grip on his scalp tightened in warning. "I-I'm sorry," he spat out through gritted teeth.

Trunks sneered down. "You call that an apology?ཀ I don't think you understand the level of my pissed-offness. Let me clarify." His fist darted out and struck the side of the man's neck. Spots swam before Nappa's eyes and everything went black for a split second before he came too with a vicious neck cramp. "Now, where were we? Oh yes," Trunks tightened his grip a little more and watched with satisfaction as a small hunk of skin began to slowly peel away. "Beg. I want you to beg for forgiveness."

Usagi watched silently as the Saiyajin she feared above all others was reduced to a blubbering simpleton under such a simple thing as pain. You would think that after all the battles the soldier had fought that he would be immune to this most basic reaction. Apparently not.

"P-Please. Please..." he trailed off incoherently as blinding pain began to override all cohesive thought. He reached out toward her with a grossly disfigured hand that shook as the muscles in his arm began to cramp up. "Please..."

Trunks sneered in disgust. He bent forward to whisper in the desperate man's ear. "Saiyajins don't beg." With a quick flick of his wrist Nappa went soaring across the room to crash against the wall in a bloody, broken heap. That in and of itself wasn't so bad. It was the large chuck of crimson scalp that Trunks carelessly tossed aside that nearly had Usagi retching.

The silence that encompassed the bar was almost deafening.

Trunks slowly straightened and extended a bloody hand toward her, clearly wishing her to take hold. '_Accept me.'_ It said. '_Accept who I am, who I've become.'_ There wasn't a shadow of a doubt on his face that betrayed any uncertainty he might feel.

The Saiyajins collectively held their breath.

Usagi stared at the blood-coated hand and watched as the blood highlighted the lines in his palms and dripped from his fingers to splatter on the grungy bar floor. She watched the trickling as if fascinated. Fear was beginning to take hold again until she looked into his eyes and saw the comforting soul of her best friend. How could he look so inviting when he was covered in someone else's blood?

Bardock looked on with everyone else and knew of the significance of this moment. Would she accept him? Would their goddess Taresa take the hand of this child warrior who had just defeated their race's greatest fighter? Everyone waited and watched not daring to move, hardly daring to breathe.

Usagi shook her head to banish her jumbled thoughts. Why was she hesitating? This was Trunks. He would never hurt her. Without a second's reservation she stepped forward and slipped her petite hand into his, trying to ignore the slick blood. Trunks pulled her to his side, transferring some of the blood from his clothes to hers.

Every Saiyajin in the bar stared at the strange couple - her so fragile and serene, him so rigid and bloody - for a long moment before a cheer went up accompanied by whispers of the Ultimate Warrior, the god Raseri. Could this be him? This child? Could they be the divine couple? Raseri and his Taresa.

Usagi closed her ears against the whispers and the cheers to lean her head against Trunks' shoulder. He was really here. This was Trunks. This was home. She could hardly believe it; everything still felt like a dream.

"What the hell are you two doing in a fucking bar!"

Usagi stiffened, her head jerked up to stare into Trunks' amused eyes. "Is that...?"

Trunks just grinned. "You didn't think I came here by myself, did you?"

Everyone quieted as heads turned to stare at the warrior who stood across the threshold of the room. He somehow looked familiar.

Usagi pushed away from Trunks' grasp and gaped in shock. "Vegeta?"

She got two steps away when Trunks caught her arm. Looking back, she saw a strange look pass his face. Her expression softened as understanding dawned. He didn't want to let her that far away from him, not even to see his father. She smiled, stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.

Bardock watched with amusement as the boy who had just pummeled the mightiest warrior of one of the strongest races the universe had ever birthed, who was covered in blood and other meatier chunks, blushed pink from an innocent kiss.

Usagi took advantage of her friend's stunned state to break away and launch herself at the older prince. When she got into arm's reach - much to the shock of the surrounding warriors - she was immediately scooped up and expertly held. Without preamble, she wrapped her limbs around him in a suffocating grip and buried her face into his neck, breathing in the comforting scent of stale sweat and stiff armor.

"So we finally found you, brat. Took long enough. If there was one record that the idiot King at that desk had to lose, of course it was yours," Vegeta said in his usual gruff manor as he nonchalantly propped her on his hip.

Usagi wasn't really listening. She just cuddled up to him and relaxed. Just when she was getting comfortable, she shot up and glared at him. "I shouldn't be hugging you."

Vegeta rose an eyebrow. "Oh? Why not? Do I have 'cooties'?" he asked remembering the conversation outside the restaurant. Later he had cornered his son and demanded an explanation of these 'cooties'.

"No, but I'm mad at you." She turned her head away and crossed her arms leaving him to support her weight - not that it would be much of a burden.

Both eyebrows shot up and he began looking around the room, wondering if he had stepped into some alternate universe. Usagi? The wee brat? Mad? He stared hard at her for a long moment. There was something different. She had changed. Could being completely submerged into the ruthless Saiyajin culture for five whole months, having to depend on no one but herself for survival have altered her this much?

"Why? What did I do?" he decided to leave his observations unsaid. Let her realize it for herself.

Usagi glanced incredulously at him from the corner of her eyes. Was he kidding? "Why didn't you tell me that girls got to wear armor too!"

Vegeta blinked and stared at her for a long moment waiting for her outburst to sink in. That was it? Clothing! Of all things to challenge a royal prince about. He scoffed and rolled his eyes heavenward. It must be a girl thing. "Like a weakling like you needed to know of such things."

A few of the watching Saiyajins gasped. He dared to insult the goddess!

Usagi turned bodily toward him and stared him in the eyes for the second time in her life. Vegeta was immediately captivated by her churning eyes. Those hadn't changed over the years, but the fact that he was even seeing them illustrated how solidly her backbone had grown. Usagi studied him and contemplated her retaliation. She wasn't strong enough to hurt him physically - well, she could probably poke him in the eyes because that doesn't really require much strength but that would be a cheap shot. After much internal debate she finally stuck out her tongue.

Vegeta blinked. '_Wha?'_ "Did you just-?"

She giggled and grinned superiorly up at him. Worked every time.

Vegeta shook his head and dismissed the last few minutes. She was acting...silly, and it was weird. Seriously though, there was something he needed to ask her, something that had been tugging at his brain since the moment he was brought back to life five months ago. "Why'd you do it? I-" he broke off in uncertainty. In all of his decades of

life, he had never experienced such a self-sacrifice; it was simply impossible for him to think that such a little girl would feel the need to trade her life for his. His curiosity knew no bounds.

Usagi stared off into some distant point over his shoulder, focusing inside on the memories of that dark day. Her head tilted to the side, "Everyone was so sad. Trunks and Bulma...they were crying. Everyone was crying...and screaming and being quiet," she added flashing onto Gohan's slumped shoulders that quaked with inner pain. "You and Kakarot dying hurt so many people. They really cared about you." She dragged her gaze up to his. "I couldn't let anyone cry anymore." Determination was laced with every word. Distantly, she added. "Trunks was so sad..."

Vegeta slowly nodded, finally understanding. The potent, sweet stench of blood pulled his attention down to the body at his feet. He stared for a few minutes and then turned to examine his son's bloody clothing. "Why'd you beat the shit out of Nappa?"

Trunks walked forward with an unyielding expression. "He was one of the two who hurt Usagi."

Vegeta glanced at the girl child in his arms and then down to the bloody heap below. "You realize that when he heals he will be that much stronger. In trying to gain revenge, you've just help him grow as a fighter."

Trunks raised an eyebrow and wasted no time by launching a massive ki blast at the prone figure. When the light cleared, all that remained was a charred lump of smoking flesh.

"Not anymore."

Vegeta smirked in approval. The surrounding Saiyajins observed the ruthlessness of the royal pair in silence, not wanting to draw their wrath by making any noise of complaint. The life of a weaker soldier: to watch and accept in silence.

Vegeta set Usagi beside his son and stared at the bar in expectation, having already dismissed the matter from his mind. "You two run off. I want to have a taste of Vegeta-sei's liquid fire once again."

Trunks shrugged. "I've got one more person to settle with."

Usagi was still staring at the melting flesh that everyone seemed to be ignoring. "You killed him," she stated without preamble, struggling not to choke on the horrid stench that rose to infect the entire room.

Trunks took her hand and moved her face so that she stared him in the eyes. "If I had my way, his wouldn't be the only body on the floor."

Usagi jerked away and turned her back to him. He was offering to kill her mother. What sickened her most was that he was offering...and she was thinking about accepting. Trunks would do anything for her, she knew. Staring at the bundle of welded flesh, she imagined black hair on the figure and the tatters of a dress. She trembled. These were evil thoughts.

Trunks touched her back. "Who else hurt her?" he inquired to the surrounding crowd, their presence an outward coating of agitated energy buzzing along his body like an annoying fly.

"A foreigner," one Saiyajin called out from the congregation to his right.

"-From a neighboring planet," another continued, eagerly rushing to answer.

"–Zihao's prince."

"Jidu."

Trunks memorized the torrent of information. "And where is this Jidu?" he directed his comment to the girl who was still turned away from him.

"In the palace," she whispered.

Trunks gritted his teeth. "Where you're staying?"

She nodded slowly.

Trunks cursed. "The hell he is!"

Before he could blast out of the bar, Usagi grabbed his arm anchoring him to the ground. "Trunks you can't just barge in there."

He raised an eyebrow. "Watch me." His gaze lowered to her bruised cheek. "He's the one that marked you?"

Usagi nodded again. "Last week."

He sighed. "I won't kill him," he promised. "Not for that. Not yet."

Usagi reluctantly released his arm. The 'yet' part kind of worried her, but if he gave his word she knew that he would keep it. She just never thought she would have to secure his word to not kill someone. '_Live and learn.'_

"Besides," she said, pushing the severity of the conversation away by trying to focus on a positive aspect. Usagi, the optimist. Now that was sad. "You don't know the way to the palace."

Trunks shrugged. "It can't be that hard. I bet it's the biggest, gaudiest building around."

Usagi frowned. Why did he have to be so smart again?

He grinned superiorly. The joys of being a genius. "I'll race you," he offered.

Usagi grinned. "Like you could ever beat me. I'd rather not wipe the floor with your defeat, seeing how you just showed up and all. It would be cruel." She went on bragging confidently, something that completely fascinated Trunks, since it was the first time he had ever seen assurance slip from her mouth.

He snorted. "I've reached a new power base since you last saw me. I'm much faster now."

Bardock laughed derisively. "It would take someone tying her feet together to beat her in a race. She's been cheerfully running circles around us for months."

The two children measured each other for a long moment before turning, as if by some unseen signal, and walking back toward the edge of the bar. As one, they crouched down and placed one of their feet at the base of the platform behind them. "Okay, the rules are as follows," Trunks began as he slowly stretched his legs. "The first one to touch the front door of the palace wins."

Usagi nodded in agreement, touching her fingertips to the floor. "However," she elaborated. "Once we hit the front gate, we finish on foot. No flying."

Trunks raised an eyebrow at the stipulation, but shrugged. It made no difference if they were using ki or their legs, he'd beat her anyway. "Agreed."

Usagi turned away to hide her grin. Trunks didn't know that the elites always trained on the palace grounds this time of day. Bardock stared at her mischievous face and shook his head in amusement. '_There she goes scheming again.'_ They shared a private smile before the two half-Saiyajins crouched down to start the race.

"Ready..." Trunks began.

"Set..." Usagi picked up.

"GO!" They finished together and took off at a speed that the surrounding Saiyajins could not even detect visually. Apparently Usagi had been sandbagging the past few months, probably to keep from hurting their feelings.

"Damn, that other brat is as fast as she is," one Saiyajin sitting at the bar remarked in a stunned stupor.

"There are '_two'_ people that fast? It's just not fair."

Bardock leaned back in his chair with a grin. "He might just catch her." Satisfaction spread through him. Perhaps this prince would be her match. Perhaps Raseri had been reborn after all. '_But as a half-Saiyajin?'_ Bardock wondered at the irony of it. That what had been considered an abomination by their race's standards, babies who would have been executed without question, were their revered god and goddess. He didn't even attempt to understand the complex workings of the cosmic universe.

While he was consumed by his thoughts, Prince Vegeta came to stand before him.

"The resemblance is almost eerie. I had thought that my memory faded after all these years," Vegeta trailed off as he stared at the face of his arch-rival that was marred only by a long thin scar.

"Who do you speak of, prince?"

"Your son, Kakarot. Couldn't you have been a little more original with your fucking offspring? One of his sons is a carbon copy too. The other worthless brat isn't too far behind." Vegeta gulped down his liquid fire.

Bardock bowed low. Not sure if he should apologize for that or not. This had to be the strangest conversation he'd ever had. "How fairs my son and his sons, highness?"

Vegeta studied the man's subservient posture and for a long pleasurable moment, pretended it was Kakarot bowing before him. That would be the day. "He is the best sparring partner I've ever had."

Bardock looked up, shocked. "A third-class soldier, sire?"

Vegeta chuckled. "He's a strong, powerful son of a bitch." He quickly added before pride could illuminate the captain's eyes, "Too bad he's as dumb as a rock."

Bardock winced. His son was an idiot?

"One of his brats isn't too far behind him either. The oldest one, though, well...I guess your intelligence only skipped one generation, but that brat doesn't have a lick of sense or an ounce of real courage. He's a mama's boy," Vegeta spat, punctuating his distaste.

Bardock let his gaze settle on some distant spot on the floor. "I guessed as much from what I gleaned from Usagi." He raised his fiercely determined gaze to meet with his prince's. "I can promise you, that if by some stroke of luck her bitch of a mother shows up here, we're all going to take a great deal of satisfaction on making the little whore's afterlife an ongoing torture session. I am not only intelligent, I can get damn creative when the situation calls for it."

Vegeta smirked. "Grab a number and step in line. It's the least I owe the brat."

* * *

"We," Trunks broke off and gulped for breath. "Tied. How in the," he bent over and clasped his knees. "World. After all this time. I'm a second level Super Saiyajin and still we only tie." He glowered over at her.

Usagi shrugged and leaned against the palace door for support. At least Trunks could still talk, she was trying to relearn how to breathe properly. She closed her eyes and tried to regain the feeling in her legs.

Trunks looked up at the intricately carved doors that were made from a strange material he had never encountered before. "You stay here?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Not bad."

Usagi turned her head to study Trunks as he studied what would have been his inheritance. There was some strange note in his voice. Wistful. He sounded wistful and...proud. In another lifetime, all that stood at his feet, every rock or grain of sand or soldier would have been his to command. She watched as he acknowledged what could have been and overcame the temptation, for that's what this was. The promise of power was always tempting.

She stilled when he dragged his gaze from the towering palace that would have been his home to stare at her with a weighted gaze. There was something there, behind his eyes, some dark emotion or thought that lurked underneath refusing to come to light.

Trunks stared at his best friend and knew that his influence as a prince would be considerable here. Everything belonged to him. She belonged to him, and through that ownership no one would dare touch her. She would finally be safe.

Carefully, he spoke into the chill of the late afternoon. "It would have been different if I was born here. I would be a prince in truth, a son of kings," he finished in a near whisper.

Usagi looked away from such intensity. "And I would be the daughter of a third-class warrior." She looked down at her hands and continued quietly. "We would have never met."

Trunks frowned at the truth of her words and let the possibilities, the endless what-ifs and might-have-beens, drain from his mind. He straightened and flung open the palace door. "Then, I guess we should be thankful that we were born on Earth."

"Yeah," Usagi whispered regrettably. "Thankful."

Trunks stepped onto the marble floor of the palace foyer just as Usagi went to grab his arm. "Trunks..." she trailed off, looking up at his profile. "It doesn't matter what planet you were born on, you're still a prince. You're still a son of kings."

He had been right. Nothing was worth losing Usagi. He took her hand and let her direct him to the throne room, content to follow wherever she led.

* * *

King Vegeta started from his reverie when the two doors to the throne room were thrown open to reveal two children. He frowned. "What's the meaning of this Usagi? You know better to interrupt during a conference."

Usagi didn't answer. She merely turned her head to study her companion. King Vegeta followed her gaze and found the oddest looking boy child he had ever seen. The brat had unique purple hair and blue eyes - a phenomenon only previously found in Usagi.

"I request an audience with Jidu, prince and heir of the planet Zihao," the boy brat spoke formally while scanning the attendees at the meeting. He paused on a large child who looked to have barely stretched into his teenage years and felt Usagi tense up beside him.Target acquired.

King Vegeta studied this new child and wondered where he had come from and why Usagi was at his side. "You dare to demand something from me, the king, the ruler of your miserable life?"

Trunks stepped forward, pulling Usagi along behind him. He grinned in challenge. "I dare."

The surrounding servants and wondering soldiers paused in their duties to stare in shocked fascination at the child who had the audacity to stand up to the strongest being on their planet, something their mightiest warrior had tried to do and failed at miserably. Little did they know that the King's champion was already out of commission, permanently. King Vegeta leapt to his feet and let his power level rise threateningly. He could hardly ki blast the little ingrate because he risked hitting Usagi as well.

Trunks felt the dramatic flaring of the king's ki and laughed. Oh yeah, he was _shaking_ in his boots.

Usagi tentatively touched his arm. "Don't you dare hurt the king, Trunks. That man's been nothing but nice to me. Besides, he's had a harsh life; we don't need to make it worse."

Trunks broke eye contact and shrugged. "Alright. He wasn't the one I came for anyway."

Usagi rolled her eyes, "He's also your grandfather. You could show a little respect."

Trunks threw a reckless grin over his shoulder that left her shaking her head before he marched up to the boy he had spotted earlier. He watched as the boy seemed to draw himself up and exude a superior air.

"I am Prince Jidu. I am curious as to why a lowly Saiyajin brat feels the need to see me."

Trunks continued to smile. "I don't feel like looking at you, your face alone makes my stomach turn. I'm here because I saw a strange bruise on Usagi's cheek, and someone told me that you were the one who put it there."

Jidu glanced at the girl standing alone in the middle of the floor. "Yeah, so? Why do you care? She's just a weak girl who apparently has no fighting skills to speak of. She's not even worth protecting."

Trunks's grin didn't drop a notch, but his eyes cooled into an iced wasteland. "She doesn't need to know how to fight because that's what I'm here for."

Jidu laughed derisively. "Why don't you come back when you're a little bit older," he paused and looked at his would-be opponent, "and a little bit taller."

Trunks tilted his head to the side. "Why, when I can beat you now?" Everyone blinked and in that time Trunks had shot forward and punched the foreign prince across the cheek, splitting it open. The stared in shock. The brat was fast. Some spared a look for their goddess who was silently watching the scene unfold; the brat was as fast as Taresa.

Trunks stood over the crouching prince who was fighting to stay conscious and spitting up blood and a few broken teeth. There wasn't nearly as much satisfaction in watching this sorry excuse for a fighter bleed at his feet. "Which hand did he hit you with?" he demanded of Usagi, knowing that she was watching from behind him.

He heard her swallow but remain quiet. "Which hand, Usagi? If you don't tell me, then I'm going to break both of them just in case," his tone was more forceful.

"His right."

Trunks reached down to grab the offending hand and met the frightened eyes of the foreigner. "Think long and hard before you start fights with 'weak girls' because they just might have people like me who are willing to spill other people's blood to keep them safe. You bruise her cheek, I break your face. You touch her even once, and you'll never use that hand again." With that parting piece of advice, Trunks squeezed the hand and felt a little more satisfaction when multiple bones snapped, as if they were eager to do his bidding.

Trunks straightened and stepped away from the mewling creature quivering in pain, staring blindly out, and seeing nothing but its own world of agony. He rolled his eyes. What a weakling.

"Who are you?" a huge gray-haired man asked quietly from his place at King Vegeta's left.

Trunks ignored him and walked back to Usagi's side. "Okay. I'm done; I promise," he smiled charmingly, as if he hadn't tortured a mere child twice his age. "What do you want to do for the rest of the day?"

Usagi stared over his shoulder at the cowering prince who had finally succumbed to his pain and mercifully passed out. She shook her head and laughed a little nervously. Ruthless. Usagi frowned recalling something from one of the history books her mother forced her to read. '_An eye for an eye...'_ Apparently Trunks' justice was a little more severe than Hammurabi's Code, but one would expect that from a Saiyajin royal. Might as well go with the flow. She leaned her head against his shoulder, "After the bar I had planned flying over to see Commander Thor's mate and her son."

Trunks stiffened. "Why do you want to see this kid?" he asked stubbornly.

Usagi grinned a little. "Her baby son," she clarified.

"Oh." Trunks deflated. "I didn't know you liked babies."

She shrugged, and they turned toward the doors before King Vegeta's questioned stopped them. "Usagi, who is your friend?"

Trunks looked back and answered for her. "You don't even recognize your own blood. Figures."

Usagi put a hand on his arm to stop him from walking out without giving the king an answer. "This is Prince Trunks," she paused when she felt Trunks stiffen at the title that had never before been strung with his name during an introduction. "He is your son's son."

King Vegeta started. "W-What?"

Trunks rolled his eyes and began dragging Usagi from the room. "What a weenie."

* * *

They spent the day together, getting to know each other again after the five months of separation. Dinner went off without a hitch, except when Vegeta learned from Usagi exactly what Bulma had told her about his 'greatest fear'. He nearly popped a vein and blasted the palace into rubble. He then demanded to know who she had told, which prompted her to spend three long minutes reciting the list of names.

His resulting indignant scream still echoed in her ears hours later. After the seething outrage finally subsided, Vegeta told them what Bulma most feared.

'_Popsicles?'_ Usagi thought as she expertly wove her way through the temple hallways toward her room. '_Why would she be afraid of all the world's really big popsicles running out?'_ She remembered Vegeta getting this really strange grin before he starting talking about his really big popsicle that Bulma likes so much. Usagi shook her head, grownups sure were strange creatures.

She was just pulling back the red silk sheets to the massive bed when she felt Trunks crawl in from the far side. "Trunks!" she quickly glanced around and made sure that none of the priestesses were walking by. "You can't be in here."

Trunks raised an eyebrow. "I'm the prince, I can go anywhere I want."

Usagi frowned at him. "I'm going to get into trouble if you don't leave right now."

Trunks crossed his arms and turned stubborn. "Then you're going to get into trouble. I didn't wait five months only to have you out of my sight for even a minute."

"Trunks..." she whined sounding remarkably like her younger brother. "It's not allowed."

He frowned. "I don't care."

Usagi sighed and deftly climbed down from the bed. " Okay, I'll go stay with you in your room."

Trunks started to look sheepish. "I don't really know where that is, exactly."

She just stared incredulously for a long moment before sighing in defeat, "Okay, we'll go stay with Bardock."

Trunks followed her out of the room and down the deserted halls. "Why'd they give you that big bed in the middle of the room?"

Usagi shrugged. "They think I'm their goddess Taresa."

Trunks stubbled and nearly tripped over his feet in shock. "W-What?" he asked in a half laugh.

She grinned and told him the story of how she looked different when she transformed and how she healed Celeric's son. Trunks found everything highly amusing. "That's pretty cool. Goten's going to freak when he hears about this. I thought I had it good with being a prince." He pouted, "I want to be a god."

Usagi laughed quietly and punched him lightly in the stomach. She flipped her hair superiorly, "Well, not everyone can be like me." She strived for a distant, superiorly condescending tone but failed when she dissolved into giggles.

Trunks was about to add to that comment when he felt Usagi stop at a door and shush him by putting a finger to her lips. "He's probably asleep, so we need to be quiet."

Trunks rolled his eyes. "I kind of figured that one out all on my own, but thanks for pointing it out anyway."

Usagi mimicked him by rolling her eyes as she pulled out a key and opened the door. "There's no extra bed, but we can share the couch."

Trunks shrugged, "That's fine with me."

* * *

Bardock stared at the slumbering couple in silence. '_How did this happen, anyway? What did I do to deserve this? I mean, I've been a good Saiyajin. I follow orders. I always complete missions. So, why is it that it's _my_ line that gets tangled up in this deity shit?'_ He sighed and left them undisturbed on the couch to join his crew at the table for breakfast.

"I'm telling you, that brat has to be Raseri. I mean, did you _see_ what he did to Nappa?" Orgos was saying while chomping down on some fruit and leaning back in his chair.

Fausha snorted. "Frieza could have done the same thing, and you didn't see rushing to kiss his transvestite reptilian ass."

"-but this brat is the _prince_ and a Saiyajin. Of course Raseri would came back as a royal," Tora eagerly added his opinion.

"But, a half-Saiyajin? Why would he come back as an abomination?" Fausha retorted.

"What choice did he have? Our race is all but extinct. Prince Vegeta had to mate with a female from another race." Everyone turned to study their captain in silence.

"So you seriously think that this new half-breed prince sleeping on the couch is the god Raseri, the ultimate fighter to ever be born to the Saiyajin race, the one who will save our race from destruction, and will rule the universe through a great fear of his power?" Fausha questioned only half in jest.

Bardock thought for a long moment. "Maybe. I think that the brat hanging all over my granddaughter in the other room will be her mate. Whether she is the goddess Taresa or he the god Raseri is what I'm not sure about."

Fausha looked at her leader and watched as he struggled to accept this strange turn of fate. "Really? You remember what she did in the bar, how she healed Commander Celeric's brat, her transformation under the moonlight. You had a front row seat. Could it be that you just don't want to believe?"

Bardock growled at her. He really hated fucking feminine intuition. "I am the descendent of a third-class warrior, as my father before me, and his father before him. We have always belonged to the lowest fighting level and we always will. I don't see how our common genes can spawn a goddess. It's impossible. And, why would the god Raseri show up now? Isn't he a little late to save our race from Freiza's wrath? Try two generations too late."

They remained quiet for a long time and let his words seep into their consciousness. Bardock was the brightest of them and if he had something to say, some doubt, then they would benefit to listen carefully and take his words into account. Could he be right?

"I refuse to believe it," Orgos trudged on, refusing to back down from his faith. The fight continued in earnest.

* * *

Usagi floated into reality only to awaken to the usual shouting match from the kitchen which had been notably absent since her move to the temple. Now, the moment her eyes flutter open, the priests begin chanting, blessing the dawn, while the priestesses scurry about lighting incense and candles that flavor the crisp morning air. Usagi frowned when she noticed, even swaying between daylight and oblivion, how heavy her body felt. She frowned and finally found the strength to pry her eyelids open to the onslaught of pale morning light.

Her face immediately softened when she felt the slow, puffing breath against her cheek. '_Trunks...'_ That's why she was so heavy. Her sluggish mind finally processed everything and she observed silently, '_He's gained weight. Must be working out more...' _Her eyelids were starting to lose the battle with gravity when the heavenly scent of breakfast wafted into the livingroom causing her stomach to promptly express sharp complaints. '_Will it never be satisfied?_ཀ' She glared down at her abdomen, or what she could see of it since Trunks was blocking the view, and wished that it had taken after the human part of her genes as much as her appearance. Glutenous Saiyajins.

There seemed to be only one problem between her and the tastebud ambrosia in the other room, and that problem came in the form of a slumbering purple-haired prince that currently had her wedged helplessly between the hard couch and his equally hard body. '_I'm huuunngryyyy...'_ she mentally whined and turned her glare to her best friend. Evil. The universe was evil, and it was currently working against her.

Just when she thought all hope was lost, Bardock stomped into the room to glare down at them. Amusement quickly conquered anger, however, when he noticed that she was awake and looking frustrated. "Having trouble?" he asked cheerfully.

She glared at him now and fought to yank her arm free from Trunks's grip. After much twisting and pulling in ways that she knew would cause bruises later, she freed her arm and stretched it out to her grandfather, her only hope. "Help me - ackཀ"

Bardock watched, his amusement growing in leaps and bounds, as the little prince shifted in his sleep, tightening his grip around her, and dragged her further under him. He could only see one surprised blue eye, a mass of gold hair, and the outstretched hand flailing about. Just to piss her off, "What did you say, Usagi? I didn't quite catch that."

A clearly agitated muffled voice was all that answered.

He smirked superiorly, "This is what happens when you sleep with strange boys."

The flailing hand paused long enough to lower all fingers but the middle one.

Bardock laughed. '_That's my girl,'_ he thought when he considered how far she had come. From some timid, abused creature to a little spitfire that gave as good as she got, at least from him anyway. He might as well be helpful, "You could always wake him up, you know."

The pale arm stilled as if she were considering his advice and finally fell back to the mop of tousled lavender hair. Bardock stood quietly and watched the scene unfold.

"Trunks..." Usagi whispered as she stroked his hair. Call it a hunch, but she figured the gentlest she could rouse him, the less chance he would freak out and attack someone on instinct. "You've got to wake up and let me go."

He grumbled and shifted a little tightening his grip even more. Usagi winced when he started squeezing her too hard and her ribs started protesting. '_At least I can breathe,'_ she thought optimistically, realizing that if she didn't wake him soon, then he might literally squeeze the breath out of her.

"Trunks. I'm hungry, let me up."

He turned his head away, stubbornly refusing to wake and join the rest of the world.

Usagi's stomach was on its last life causing her patience to completely deteriorate. "Trunks, you lazy ass, get up right now so I don't lie here and starve to deathཀ" she screamed in his ear, which, accompanied by a punch in his harm, causing him to jerk to consciousness.

He raised his head slightly and looked through bleary, confused eyes around at the strange room. Usagi was forced to wait even longer for him to get his bearings and finally turn to look down at her. She glared her annoyance, hoping that if she thought hard enough he might choke on it. "You finished?" she demanded, wishing she was strong enough to push him off her.

Trunks stared at her for a long moment. "I'm not dreaming am I?" he croaked out softly before laughing himself at her and hugging her so hard that she thought her ribs would break. "You're really hereཀ I didn't just think it all up." He squeezed harder until she squeaked in protest.

"I'm not going to be here much longer if you keep hugging me like this," she grumbled against his shirt.

He laughed sheepishly and loosened his grip. For some reason he couldn't bring himself to release her completely yet. It was still too real, that horrid loneliness that haunted him just the day before. He had to make sure that she wasn't going anywhere without him, not ever again.

"Can we go now?" she demanded, her frustration obvious.

Trunks looked around to find the man that looked so like his father's arch-rival. Now he was confused. "Go where?" he asked carefully, hating to admit that he wasn't entirely sure what was going on. Being clueless sucked because that meant he couldn't even act like he had control of the situation.

Usagi looked at him like he was the dumbest person walking. "Hello? Breakfast, maybe? Why do you think I woke you up?"

As soon as she said the magical word - words, actually that had anything to do with food - his interest leaped into action. Now that she mentioned it, there was an abnormally wonderful smell coming from what he could only guess was the kitchen. "Breakfast!" he screamed before grabbing her hand and dragging her off towards the heavenly scent.

'_Thank heaven for one-track mindedness,'_ Usagi thought as they emerged into the kitchen.

Trunks skidded to a halt when he noticed that there were a group of Saiyajins who vaguely looked familiar already seated at the table. Without thought, he shoved Usagi behind him and glared at the intruders. Just who did they think they were invading the kitchen he was about to ransack?

"Who the hell are you?" Trunks spat.

Everyone sort of froze, remembering what happened to Nappa the day before and realizing that to provoke this child's rage would mean certain death. They all slowly climbed from their seats and bowed to this prince. "Highness," they mumbled softly in acknowledgment of his higher station.

"Trunks, chill," Usagi poked his back before she stepped up to his side. "They're Bardock's crew, friends."

Trunks didn't break his stare with these new comers. "Friends?"

Usagi attempted to push him a little, even though he didn't budge, didn't realize that she was trying to get him to relax. "Yes," she answered much to everyone's relief.

Trunks centered his gaze to Fausha, the only female of the group, who immediately stiffened beneath the scrutiny. "All of them?"

Usagi followed his gaze and offered Fausha an apologetic smile. "Yeah, all of them."

Trunks relaxed minutely and let her wander about freely. "My name's Trunks." His quick mind immediately addressed the problem at hand. "Where's the food?"

* * *

"The first thing I'm going to do when we get back," Trunks absently commented as they laid back on the roof of the palace and watched the orange sky. "Is make you tell me your surprise. I hate having to wait."

Usagi jerked her attention from the transparent wisp of a cloud floating overhead when his words sank in. "G-going home?"

Trunks rolled his head to look at her panicked expression. "Yeah, home." When she didn't seem to get the obvious, he felt that he needed to elaborate. "Why do you think Dad and I came here? We're going to take you back." Surely she had thought of this sometime before.

Usagi shivered. "Back? I've got to go back?" She still couldn't wrap her mind around this new concept. Back home. Back to her mother. Back to the devil bitch with a god complex – Bardock was such a wonderfully inventive teacher. Until now, she thought she had escaped purgatory.

Trunks frowned. "Yeah. I thought you knew that?"

Usagi shook her head in denial. "Why don't you and Vegeta stay here. We could send a message back so that Goten could meet us here or something. That way you would get to order everyone around like you always wanted, Vegeta would be the reigning prince on high, and I could stay with Bardock."

Trunks turned completely toward her. What was this nonsense? Maybe if he talked in short, simple sentences she would understand his logic. "You're not going to stay here, Usa. You're coming home with us. We're not even dead." He shook his head in frustration and waved his hand absently, "Gohan had to pull in some favor from the Supreme Kai to even send me and Dad to the afterlife without us being dead. We can't just stay, and I'm not leaving you here without me."

Usagi stared off into the horizon. This couldn't be happening. Everything had been so perfect. She knew from his tone of voice that there was no room for compromise. In some calm, placid voice that was filled to bursting with absolute conviction, she promised, "I'm not going back to that Hell. I'm not going back to her." She continued, ignoring Trunks' startled jerk, almost frantic for him to understand her feelings. "Bardock is like a real dad, Trunks. He treats me like Vegeta treats me. I don't want to leave this."

Trunks jerked her off balance and out of her serious droning. "You're coming back with us if I have to tie you up and drag you all the way!" his voice was fringed with panic when he registered the resolve in her voice. "You promised to never leave me, so that means you have to come with me since I can't stay here. We belong on Earth."

Usagi stared into his narrowed eyes. Why hadn't she anticipated this argument? Looking into her best-friend's eyes she knew that her subconscious had shied away from the mere possibility. Somewhere along the past few months Vegeta-sei had become a type of home for her. Everyone here treated her with respect that bordered on reverence. She had a family and friends. In fact, the only things keeping life from being perfect was that Trunks, Goten, and Vegeta weren't here sharing her newfound experiences. Could she really give up this almost-paradise? Her lips twitched. '_I bet Vegeta-sei has never been called a paradise before.' _As sad as it sounded, this desolate place with far too much sand, filled with people who had horrible dispositions was a virtual paradise compared to life with her homicidal mother. Could she really go back? Could she survive it all again after knowing what real peace felt like?

"I don't know, Trunks," she answered truthfully. "I don't know if I can stand it all again. You could just be wasting your time; she'll probably kill me before the year is out anyway, and I'll be right back here again."

Trunks tightened his grip on her arm. "It's not going to happen. I won't let it."

Usagi considered him with somber eyes. "How can you stop it? How would you even realize what's happening before it's too late? Gohan wouldn't tell you, and Goten is starting to not care either. What's to keep them from not breathing a word to you before I've already starved to death or bled to death or ..." she trailed off. "I just don't know if I can take all of that anymore. Do you understand?"

Trunks clinched his unrestrained fist in rage. "It won't happen," he vowed. "It will never happen to you. Not ever again." The desolate, frigid look in his eyes scared her. "I can't lose you again."

Usagi pried his fist apart and slipped her free hand into it, sighing. "I missed you a lot. I cried because I missed you so much," she admitted softly. She was such a burden to their friendship that sometimes she even wondered how they became friends in the first place. Maybe it would be better for them both if they weren't together. Sighing softly, she rejected that idea. They had already tried that approach and it was obvious that they both had suffered in the long run. If months and months of separation couldn't cure them of their friendship, then maybe time wasn't the answer.

"I'll need to say goodbye first," she capitulated gracefully.

Trunks hugged her in relief. He really hadn't looked forward to knocking her out and tying her up before dragging her home, but necessity would have won out over her wishes. She might have hated him for a long time, but at least he'd get to see her again. Knowing Usa, she'd probably forgive him eventually anyway. "Dad said that we would leave sometime later this afternoon, so I guess you have until then."

Usagi sighed again and slowly stilled herself for the trails ahead.

Trunks could see her drawing in on herself and slowly rebuilding her defenses. Something in the action made him sad. He had liked getting to know her when she wasn't worried about survival or what other people felt – if they wanted to hurt her or not. He liked seeing her laugh. Frowning, he pulled away and left her alone on the palace roof. It was almost as if she didn't trust him to keep her safe. '_Have you ever really?'_ his conscience tormented him. Sure he was there to pick up the pieces and bandage her up after the fight, but had he ever prevented her pain? No wonder she had to retreat into herself; it was the only safe place for her to hide.

Trunks clinched his jaw and straightened himself. It wasn't going to happen. He had killed to keep her safe, proven his worthiness, his determination to stand between her and whatever monster threatened her. '_She will turn to me when she's scared, knowing I'll protect her.'_ This was his goal in life.

"She will trust me in everything."

* * *

Usagi stood next to Trunks and Vegeta, looking fragile compared to their bulging mass. They were in the bar again, where Vegeta and Trunks had found her saying her last goodbyes to her friends and grandfather. King Vegeta and a good many of the elites were all crammed into the little space between the tables, all their to see off the last generations of the royal family and their goddess.

"I still don't see why Taresa has to leave. She's our goddess! She should stay here," Commander Celeric grumbled to the crowd, sulking from this turn of events.

"She has her own destiny to lead," Fausha's patient tone attempted to sooth the commander's ruffled feathers.

Orgos snorted and turned away from the female member of his team. "Baah! I don't want to hear your feminine nonsense."

Throughout all the muttering of the assembled spectators, Bardock stood stiff and quiet, looking at no one but his granddaughter. To think that he was old enough to have a granddaughter her age! After all this time and all these months, he had to admit that he was closer to her than he ever was to any of his other offspring. '_Maybe I should have had some female brats.'_ As blasphemous at that thought appeared, he liked to think that he'd have enjoyed watching a little girl child grow up to be mated.

Bardock stared at Usagi in silence, willing her to understand his thoughts and emotions. It had taken a different kind of patience that he didn't know any Saiyajin could possess to coax her out of her fears and insecurities. He held pride in himself that he had made her actually enjoy the world around her, which was no small accomplishment by far. Now, as he locked gazes with her shuttered and fearful eyes, he wondered if all of his patience was in vain. She was descending back into a hell that no person, much less a child her age, should have to endure. Looking at her taut expression that revealed her apprehension, he wondered yet again if he'd be seeing her sooner than anyone expected.

Usagi looked between her grandfather and King Vegeta, the two Saiyajins that had helped her so much during her stay. After a few moments, there was a possibility that she wouldn't see either of them for a very long time. She clutched Trunks's hand tighter and wondered if he would be enough protection against the demons that awaited her back home. Logically, she knew that the half-Saiyajin was stronger than the two adult Saiyajins could ever hope to be; but she knew that if they had the chance that they would plaster her mother to the wall. It was almost ironic that Trunks was the one who turned so violent on her behalf, yet she trusted others to see to her safety. Why, she wondered.

"Before we leave," Vegeta began in a voice that held a great deal of arrogance and anticipation. "I want to set the matter of the Super Saiyajin legend straight." When he was sure that he held everyone's attention, he continued with a satisfied smirk. "The power of the Super Saiyajin defeated Frieza. After much training and meditation, every Saiyajin on Earth - whether of full or half blood - has ascended to this level. Some have even ascended _beyond_ that of a mere Super Saiyajin."

Doubting silence was the only thing that met his bold statement.

"Need you proof? You simply have to watch." He turned to his son, "Trunks, to your highest level, now!" he barked out the order.

Trunks slowly released Usagi's hand and grinned at his best friend. "This is so cool. You've got to see this Usa."

With twin roars that caused the floor of the bar to quake, tiny ripples of power danced across their bodies. As if in sync, a giant blast of golden light irrupted and engulfed the room in pure power, causing many of the Saiyajins to shudder from the intensity of it, as if they had been physically touched. Usagi stared at the familiar sight of the royal Saiayjins bathed in gold, pulsating with aura; but something was definitely different. Whereas before they had stopped here, their screams continued and the power built again instead of leveling out.

Squinting against the unbearable light, Usagi watched with wide eyes as Trunks's spiked hair lengthen by a half a foot in a matter of seconds. His toned child muscles bulged as pure power solidified and reinforced every fiber in his body. When the screaming finally subsided, Usagi stared along with the Saiyajin crowd with her mouth dropped in astonishment. So this was the next level. They weren't merely blond, a little bit bulkier, and green-eyed. No, these surreal creatures practically crackled with power. Their skin was tan and shimmered with gold freckles of power while their longer hair jutted into the air looking sharper than any blade. The muscles in their arms quivered from restrained energy, as if they made an effort to remain still and not push the limits of this form simply for pleasure. Trunks even looked a few inches taller!

Looking around she noticed that every last Saiyajin had taken a knee and bowed reverently in the wake of such raw power; all except the king turned their gazes away, realizing that they were merely insignificant flecks in comparison. Briefly she wondered if she should be bowing to the floor with them.

Trunks held out a hand to her in silence patiently waiting for her to accept his new self yet again. "Come, Usa. Come look at what you've made."

She was the reason he had leaped so high at such a young age. Usagi immediately disagreed. It was his feelings for her that had given him so much strength. Without thought she stepped close and gasped when his power crawled around her, encircling her in its embrace, accepting her. Her skin literally tingled, jumping to life under the onslaught of the animated, golden aura.

Trunks pulled her to his side and stared with his father out at his humbled subjects. Even the king was on the floor. He smirked. So this was what it meant to rule through power and fear. His Saiyajin blood hummed in pleasure. He had been born and bred for this responsibility. Looking at the proud and mighty race bowing before him, he knew that his destiny lay at his feet. He was to conquer and rule. Absently, he rubbed his chin across the top of Usagi's head. He couldn't wait to get started.

Usagi looked out in panic at the crowd of Saiyajins. This was almost too much to handle at once. She had Trunks back. She was leaving. Now, on top of all of that, Trunks had evolved into something above and beyond. Above and beyond what, she wasn't sure, but it appeared too far from her capabilities. How much more of her world was going to change in the coming weeks? Desperately, she finally locked gazes with Bardock and was shocked at what she saw.

Pride.

He was proud of her?

Usagi bit her lip and tried to imagine what he was seeing. There she was, the daughter of a third-class Saiyajin, the lowest on the social ladder; and she stood in the arms of the prince of their race, a mighty warrior uncontested by any and all. She was the proclaimed goddess Taresa, reborn to save their race and mate to the mightiest warrior in their history. What a sight she must make to his humble eyes.

Usagi fought to memorize the exact look in his eyes even as Vegeta placed a hand on his son's shoulder, raised to fingers to his forehead, and began concentrating. Bardock believed in her. He knew her better than anyone else on this planet - knew her fears, her weaknesses, her insecurities - and yet he had faith in her. She wasn't a mere child to be discarded and punished at a whim. She was something special.

Special.

Usagi fought to hold back tears. She was strong. Thanks to this Saiyajin's help, she could stand up to whatever was in her way; and she would win.

Her last glimpse of her race's home planet wasn't the mass of kneeling Saiyajins gathered around her or the King's bowed head and respectfully averted gaze; it was the scorching pride that sparked her grandfather's eyes that would imprint itself in her mind forever, giving her courage and allowing her to hope that maybe she had a chance to actually _live_.

* * *

AN: Okay, I hope that this 35 page chapter helped to satisfy everyone. I have some reasons for me being so late on the update. I went to China this summer, as some of you might know, and I started college, which is definitely an experience that takes adjusting to. This chapter was actually finished last Thursday night, but my BETA reader has had a busy schedule too, so it has taken some time to edit. I love you D-chan! Just for the record, I have no desire to let Trunks and Usagi's story die, it's just going to take me a little longer because I'm taking Chinese, have English papers due every 2 weeks, and have to read 100 pages a week for my Anthropology class. I only ask for patience. In return, I'm going to give you the longest, best chapters I can possibly write. Hope you enjoyed it! I'd really like to hear about _why_ you liked it or not. Thanks again!

Katlin Grace


	17. Gohan

AN: Merry Christmas Deirdre.

**Chapter 16**

Usagi stared up at the massive building surrounded by a slew of wispy yellow clouds and wondered at her newfound courage. As she stood at the threshold of change, she knew that the time to turn back had long passed. Whatever lay within the walls of King Yama's palace did not scare her. She would no longer cower in the presence of the unknown.

Of course, it didn't hurt that she had two Saiyajin princes at her back. Usagi's lips twitched. '_They're one hell of a safety blanket.'_

"Well, brats," Vegeta sneered, breaking both her intense concentration on the palace and Trunks's gaze on her face. "Are we going to just stand here or are we going inside? I'll give you a hint. I'm sick of just watching your two ugly faces, so move it!"

Usagi grinned. Same ol' Vegeta. At least she knew the one constant in her life was that he would never change. Not for his wife, his son, or his race. Always grumpy, always cross, and always angry at life and everyone in it.

Usagi took a deep breath and tilted her face to the sky as if to absorb the warm yellow mist saturating the air. "Yes," she said quietly into the air. "Let's go." '_I'm finally ready.'_

"Usagi!!" Goten howled in greeting as he came barging toward her. She barely had time to squeak when he scooped her up into a giant, painful bear hug. It wasn't long before his hyperactive speech caught up to the rest of him.

"I missed you. Don't ever do that again. Where were you? Dad and I went looking at King Kai's and Supreme Kai's and everyone else's place, but you weren't there. We decided to come back here and wait, but then Trunks and Vegeta didn't come back either, so we were starting to get worried. But, it didn't matter because you're okay. Right?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but it was a waste of time because he didn't give her any breathing room. "You should have seen Trunks turn Super Saiyajin 2. I want to go to the next level, but as hard as I try I just can't. It's not fair! Dad says Trunks is older, so I should wait a little while, but I don't want to, you know? It's been so weird since you've been gone. Everything seems so normal. I didn't know what to do at first. Gohan came! You see?"

Usagi gave up trying to understand her younger sibling and discreetly looked over his shoulder at her older brother. She was surprised that he even bothered showing. Before her eyes met his, he quickly turned away and started a quiet conversation with a short purple man that she vaguely remembered from before. Usagi, mood deflated, hugged her younger brother enthusiastically. She had forgotten the sharp pang of rejection.

"Jeez, Goten, shut up! You're giving me and everyone else a headache," Trunks interjected mid sentence. "You can let go of Usagi any time now," he prompted his best friend.

Goten paused and stared down at her, surprised that he was still clutching her in a giant hug. Sheepishly, he released her and laughed a little. "Oops. Sorry about that, Usa."

Usagi took a deep breath and smiled at him. "No problem. I'm glad to see you too, Goten. I've got so many stories to tell you. Did you know we have another Grandpa?"

Goten blinked as if surprised and stared for a moment before slowly shaking his head. There was something different about his sister; but he couldn't readily place it, so he shrugged and pushed it out of his mind. "Really? What's he like?"

Usagi smiled tightly and glanced past his shoulder. "I'll tell you about him later. Okay?" There was something she had to do that had been put off for far too long.

Before Goten could respond, she stepped around him and headed straight for her older brother. Now was the time. With Bardock's confidence pumping through her bloodstream, she took a fortifying breath and approached the teen. For once her Saiyajin half was going to speak its mind.

"Gohan."

Gohan stiffened visibly before continuing his conversation with the Supreme Kai, not noticing that his mentor's awed attention was focused solely on the child before him.

"Gohan!" Usagi yelled forcefully. She was finally ready to talk, and there was no way she was going to let him ignore her. Not this time.

"What do you want?" he rounded on her. "Don't you know that it's not polite to interrupt people?" he snapped, towering over her.

Usagi looked him straight in the eyes for the first time in a long while. "And don't _you_ know that it's not polite to ignore people? You haven't seen me in months. What? No hug for your little sister?" A perverse, hollow satisfaction filled her as she watched him turn his gaze away.

The two siblings stood stiffly, neither moving while the tension mounted. Goku and Supreme Kai watched in confusion.

Usagi crossed her arms and circled her brother's rigid form. "Apparently I'm supposed to thank you for my life." Her voice cracked with an obscene excuse for laughter. "For once you actually decided to save my life. Isn't that funny?" she spat the last word.

Trunks winced and made to go comfort her, but his father placed a restraining hand on his shoulder. This was her battle. Goku watched the interplay and felt even more confused. '_What's going on?'_

Usagi watched Gohan's jaw tick in fascination. "Why the change of heart? Bad dreams maybe?" Her mouth twitched in satisfaction as he hunched over a little. "Could it be that the smart child has a conscience?"

"That's not fair," Gohan protested in a whisper.

Usagi rounded on him. "Fair? Why the Hell should I be fair to you?! Tell me, Gohan, when have you ever treated me fairly? Hell, when have you ever treated me like a human being?"

"I didn't -" he stammered.

"Didn't what? You didn't mean to?" she barked with piercing laughter. "Not good enough. Try something better. Surely the Honor student can think of a more believable excuse."

He blushed furiously before trying again. "I couldn't –."

"Couldn't help it? Couldn't just tell her 'no'? Couldn't just stand up to her, just once?" Usagi sneered. "Yeah, I can see where that would be hard. She is, after all, more powerful than a Saiyajin." Sarcasm was a wonderful thing.

Usagi stared at the man-child who was supposed to be her hero. If only things had been different. Tears prickled her eyes. So many years wasted. So much potential friendship and love thrown to the wind. Her voice lost its harsh edge and broke as she whispered, "I'll not go back to her. I'll not go through everything again." Her resolve began to harden. "Never. Again."

Still he didn't say anything. Long minutes passed. So this was how it was going to be? Sadness swamped her before she spun, sighing, on her heel. "This was a waste of everyone's time. I'm not going back. I'd rather stay dead with people who actually care about me."

Everyone's eyes widened in shock. Gohan's head jerked up to stare at his little sister's retreating back, completely stunned. He desperately tried to talk around his clogged throat, but, for once, his intellect failed him. He didn't know what to say to her.

"Gohan! Say something!" Trunks screamed at the older boy.

"What's going on?" Goku stepped forward and looked around in confusion.

Usagi ignored them all as she made her way to a nearby window.

"Gohan!" Goten pleaded.

Gohan, realizing that his brain was malfunctioning, listened to his heart. Suddenly, he could speak again. "You want to know why I bargained for your life?" he burst out suddenly. "I wanted to give you the thing you want most in the world. I wanted to give you back the people you care about." She continued walking. His voice grew in desperation. "I wanted to show you that I'm sorry!"

Usagi froze at his voice. With freedom in the form of wispy yellow clouds a few paces away, she stopped and listened.

"For all the times I looked away or forgot. For all the times I left to do homework or left the house. For every thing that caused you pain. I'm sorry." Tears trickled down his face. "I didn't protect you like I should have. I didn't tell her to stop. I couldn't – I couldn't be like Dad." He fell to his knees and stared at her fragile back, clothed in silky fabric. From her appearance alone, he could tell that she had been treated well. Would his words be enough to keep her from returning?

"Everything that everyone thinks I am is a lie," he confessed softly. "How can I be a protector of the weak, if I can't even protect you?"

Silence descended as everyone's attention centered on the small blond child.

Usagi took a deep, shuttering breath. "Is that all I am to you?" she whispered accusingly into the thick silence. "Some weak person you need to protect?"

Gohan drew back in shock. Did his apology mean nothing? Did he just bear his soul in vain? He threaded his fingers through his hair and clutched his head. "What do you want from me?!" he screamed at her.

Usagi spun around so quickly that the tears flew off her face. "I want a brother! I want a family!"

His eyes widened as she slowly marched toward him with clinched fists. "I'm your sister, damn it! Why can't you at least act like my brother? Do I have to beg? Do I have to beg for what should have always been? I wanted to love you so much, but you never let me. You never let me. And now it might be too late."

Gohan gulped and waited for her to finish. How they would continue from here depended on her. He pleaded his case, confessed his feelings and fears. It was up to her now. He found it humbling to realize that the fate of their relationship rested solely in the hands of a child.

Usagi stared at his tear-streaked face. She searched his eyes and saw something that had never been there before: genuine regret. Now, the question was, would that be enough? Could she forgive him for letting their mother abuse and repeatedly try to kill her? Should she forgive him for not loving her simply because their mother told him not to? He gave up so early, without any struggle whatsoever.

She slowly wiped a tear from his cheek. "I think it's too late to have what could have been."

Gohan winced and glanced away.

Usagi pulled his face around to look at her once again. "But, I'm willing to try to forgive you. It's probably going to take a long time, but I'm willing to try if you are."

Gohan smiled a little, regretfully. "Okay. That's more than I hoped for."

She grinned brightly, causing him to bask, for the first time, in the warmth of her joy. "I think I'll take your peace offering and stay," she announced, addressing the entire room.

Goten jumped in the air and whooped, but Trunks crossed his arms. "Damn right, you'll stay. You still have to show me your surprise."

Usagi rolled her eyes and grinned at him. Before she could think of a witty comeback – hanging around with Bardock was quite a learning experience – Goku stepped forward with a commanding expression on his face. "What's going on? Gohan, son, what just about happened?"

Gohan smiled reassuringly at his sister before wiping his face clean and gaining his feet once again. "You just about lost your only little girl."

Goku frowned. "That doesn't really help explain anything."

Gohan winced while approaching his father. "I know that I've got a lot of explaining to do, but I think it would be better if I did it when we were at home where Mom can have her say. Any punishment you think to give me, I'll happily accept because it's the least I deserve," he sincerely stated, hoping his father would take him up on his offer because he actually wanted to get Usagi away from temptation. If she were back on Earth, then she couldn't decide to fly off and live with her other relatives.

Goku stared at his first born for a long moment, watching as the teen straightened beneath his regard and braced himself for punishment. The boy was finally learning to be a man who could own up to his own actions and accept their consequences. Gohan had come a long way from the fight with Raditz where he cried for his father and ran away from his responsibilities. Goku's mouth quirked up a little; his son was asking something from him and as a father he was obliged to give in. "Alright. But, everything gets explained fully when we get back home."

Gohan nodded gratefully. He almost forgot how reasonable his dad could be. Now that the secret of the Son household was finally going to be aired, he felt a lightening of spirit. He closed his eyes and thanked Dende that it was finally going to be over. He didn't have to lie anymore or ignore his sister or avoid his brother's pleading eyes. His dad would straighten everything out so that it could all return to normal. '_But, was it ever normal?'_ Their lives had always been unusual in some way. If their family wasn't separated by the time spent training for some new foe, it was being tested with each battle where his mother had to sit, biting her fingernails, waiting to hear of the outcome. Was this really any different? Gohan violently shook his head. No, he wouldn't let his mind try and rationalize anything his mother and he did. They had both been so wrong, about everything. And now that his father was here, they would be punished for being so cruel. '_As it should be.'_

"Look, folks, I don't have all day to wait for your little family squabbles; souls need to be processed. So, if we could hurry this along," the booming voice of King Yama echoed in the room.

Gohan looked down at the Supreme Kai expectantly, waiting for him to take charge and give them all passage back to Earth, only to find the small purple deity staring in awe at his little sister. This was interesting. He looked between them and still couldn't figure out what was so amazing about Usagi that he would forget his promise and gawk. "Supreme Kai?"

Everyone in the group turned to look. Trunks frowned when he noticed the Supreme Kai staring at Usagi. The deity had been helpful and serious, traits that Trunks valued when he was consumed by his crazed drive to get to Other World, but that didn't give him a reason to find Usagi so interesting. When Supreme Kai still didn't respond to Gohan's inquiry, Trunks decided that it was enough, he grabbed Usagi's shoulder and pulled her closer to him, drawing the deity's attention. "You've got a problem or something?"

Usagi looked from Trunks to the Supreme Kai in confusion. '_What now?'_ She recognized the look on the purple guy's face as reverence because it was identical to the ones the Saiyajins adopted when she entered the room. Did he know that she was Taresa? '_But how? The only other time I saw him was at the Tournament before I died.'_ She returned his stare and watched as a slow smile spread across his face. The man was just creepy.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She decided to ask him bluntly, finally deciding to address her problems herself, instead of letting Trunks take care of everything.

Supreme Kai continued to smile. The girl that was to be Cosmos was speaking and to him. He could hardly believe his luck. Who would have thought that when he went to recruit help for Buu, that he would find her, the Savior of All? "Like what?"

"Like you know that I'm Taresa."

Vegeta snapped to attention. "What? What did you say, brat?"

Usagi turned to tear her gaze from the creepy purple man to look at her friend's father. "Taresa. I'm Taresa."

"What?! Who told you that?" Vegeta stared at her incredulously.

Goku realized that something was putting his friend on alert. "What's going on, Vegeta? What's wrong?"

"Shut up, Kakarot." Vegeta waved the other warrior's concern away. This was important. "Well?"

Usagi frowned and looked at Trunks in confusion. He just shrugged. "Well, this old Saiyajin guy that everyone called 'Raseri's Seer' told me. I didn't believe him at first, but everyone was so certain, and people kept looking at me like that," she waved in Supreme Kai's general direction, "I guess, I started to believe it."

Vegeta's stare bored into her. "When did they tell you this?"

Usagi fidgeted a little. She hadn't expected an interrogation, but she was used to hearing people recount the story so many times that it just slipped off her tongue. "Well, it all started when the moon appeared earlier than it was supposed to after I showed up."

Vegeta's eyebrows quirked up. That was weird, but not strange enough to grant her the title of a goddess.

"And then, everyone started panicking. They build these tent things out in the middle of the desert next to some trees, but Nappa chased me out into the moonlight where something strange happened."

Vegeta, Goku, and Gohan were now listening raptly. They new what would come next, because they were the only ones to transform into the Ozzaru before Piccolo destroyed Earth's moon.

"Everyone said that I should have changed into some giant monkey or something, but I didn't. I don't remember what happened, I just remember this dream I had, but people said that I changed into something they had never seen."

"What?" Goku asked. If she didn't change into the Ozzaru, then what?

Usagi shook her head stubbornly. "Nope. That's my surprise, and Trunks has to show me his first."

Vegeta growled in annoyance. "Brat, just transform already."

Usagi crossed her arms and waited. "Not until Trunks shows me his surprise."

Vegeta rolled his eyes before looking at his son. "Well, brat? Hurry up. I want to see this."

Trunks grinned at Usagi before dragging Goten away to whisper his plan.

Goku leaned towards his oldest son to voice his confusion. "What surprise?" Gohan just grinned in answer.

Trunks walked towards Usagi with a cocky little grin plastered to his face. "Okay, I know how much you like your little brother and how much you absolutely adore your best friend," as he pointed to himself.

Vegeta rolled his eyes in disgust. Was that really his son?

"But, ignoring the necessary stupid dance –"

Goten butted in to voice how he thought the dance was awesome and how she shouldn't listen to Trunks because he didn't know what he was talking about.

"– that's required to make this little trick work," Trunks continued loudly, "you'll see just how amazing the two of us really are." He turned to whisper to his friend, "Now Goten!"

Usagi laughed when she saw them tiptoeing towards each other with their first fingers extended. She never thought she would see the day that the too cool Junior World Martial Arts Champion Trunks Briefs would dance towards his friend in the most undignified way possible. '_Oh, he's never living this one down.'_

Before she could tease either of them, a blinding flash of light forced her to turn away to protect her sensitive Saiyajin eyes. When the spots skittering across her vision finally calmed, she turned back to tease them about their little light show, only to stop and stare. "W-What?" Her jaw dropped when she saw that instead of her brother and her best friend, she saw only one person. His hair was half lavender and half black but completely spiked, however it wasn't his hair that caught her attention, it was the familiar cocky grin flashing across her face. If she didn't know better, she would swear that it was identical to Trunks'.

"Where'd they go?" she asked hesitantly.

The being in front of her laughed in an eerily familiar voice that seemed to echo. "We're right here," it exclaimed, tilting its head innocently to the side.

Usagi hesitantly stepped forward and stared at this new person suspiciously. There was something not quite right with the being in front of her. It spread its arms wide and waited for her inspection. She stepped forward to look into this creature's eyes and saw something that floored her. They were the pitch black of her brother's eyes but possessed the chill of Trunks'. Her breath caught. "T-Trunks? Goten? What in the world?"

Gotenks laughed and scooped her in his arms before blasting into the air to circle King Yama's palace at supersonic speeds. "Dad came back and showed us how to fuse together into one being. We call this form Gotenks," he went on to explain in his double voice about the fight with Buu and how their ki level doubles in this form. "So we can finally beat you in a race. No more tying."

She simply nodded in silence. This was just too much for her to handle. While it was pretty cool, not to mention handy in a battle, that they could combine their life energies, she didn't think she could give up either of them. "I-It's not permanent, is it?"

Gotenks grinned. "No, it only –" before he could finish the sentence another blinding flash of light washed over the room, and suddenly Usagi felt herself falling. Before she could right herself, she was scooped up into a familiar pair of arms. She smiled at Trunks as he set her on the tiled floor once again.

"Wasn't that so wicked!" Goten rushed up to them to gush.

Usagi shifted her gaze between the two of them. "Yeah it was pretty awesome, but how did it –?"

Trunks cut her off. "The only flaw with the fusion technique is that it just lasts for 30 minutes. It really sucks 'cause we'll be in the middle of kicking some serious ass when, poof, it's only just me kicking ass and Goten's lying on the ground somewhere catching his breath," he finished off with a smug grin.

Goten rounded on his friend. "That's not true. We were both on the ground. You're such a liar Trunks!"

Vegeta coughed loudly. "Well, brat? Before you think up some other delaying tactic, I'd like to see this strange transformation. We're all done waiting."

Usagi looked around the room at her family, friends, and a handful of strangers, and shifted nervously. "I don't think that it's nearly as good as Gotenks, so don't get disappointed or anything." No one commented on her disclaimer. Suddenly, she wasn't so sure that she could summon the other form. Doubt started to creep into her head. What if nothing happened? Would everyone laugh? Would they leave her here to never see any of them again? What if she did change and they didn't like it? What if Vegeta went back and told all of the Saiyajins that she wasn't the goddess Taresa? Would they hate her then? Would King Vegeta? Or Bardock?

Would she be left alone?

Usagi stared at the yellow clouds out the window and longed for the freedom of worry. She gulped, but refused to let herself panic. Frantically, she searched her head for anything that would calm her racing heart and give her courage. '_Courage.'_ She closed her eyes and thought of Bardock and recalled his faith in her. His pride.

She took a deep breath and thought back to the night in the tent when she stepped out of the cloth walls and into the star-blanketed desert night. She recalled the sand swirling at her ankles and the crisp wind constantly remolding the dunes in the distance. And the silence. The noise of the Saiyajins crowded in the tents faded in the wake of the absolute silence of the desert night, where the stars were the lords of the land that kept watch over the warrior kings.

Usagi recalled the moon haloed in its glowing wreath of light hanging amidst the stars, outshining the brightest of them. It held some mysterious allure that eclipsed everything around her. There was no desert, no wind, no stars; only this radiating sphere that pulled at something deep within her.

Now there was no dream to distract her from this strange power or the changes it induced. She watched as a silver glow slithered across her torso and down to the rest of her body replacing her silk clothes with a flowing white dress that appeared to be woven with light-kissed threads each with their own subtle glow. She grimaced and hunched over in pain when she felt her upper back start to throb viciously right before two piercing pains ignited at once causing her to cry out. She looked back to see two feathered wings with bloody tips arching up. They stretched their full length, as if waking from a long slumber before settling next to the two streamers of hair cascading down from the twin buns atop her head. Usagi gasped when she felt a soft burning above her brow. She reached up to touch her forehead and knew from the stories reiterated by her grandfather what she would find. An upturned crescent moon that proclaimed her status.

Usagi slowly looked up to face her audience, afraid to see condemnation written on their faces. Instead, she saw slack-jawed floored expressions that had her dissolving into giggles. It wasn't everyday that she found Vegeta so speechless. Goku and Gohan both looked dumbfounded and confused while Supreme Kai looked even more awestruck. She turned with a smile to observe Goten and Trunks only to find them heading towards her. Of course the children would take everything in stride. If they could fly and shoot energy beams from their hands, how much weirder was a few wings and a glowing dress?

Goten was the first to speak. "Are these real? Can I touch them?" Without waiting for permission he started stroking her wings and awing over their pristine feathers. Usagi was about to comment on how good that felt, when she noticed a look in Trunks' eyes she had never seen before. For some reason she felt like taking a few huge steps back and running, but something told her that he would give chase. That he wanted her to run just so he could catch her.

"T-Trunks?" Goten hesitantly, almost fearfully, questioned from behind her. Little did everyone know, but the one aftereffect of the fusion technique was that the two participants retained the emotional channel for a little while after splitting. Goten was feeling a faint shadow of what Trunks was experiencing, and this intensity of emotion scared him.

Trunks ignored his best friend and continued to stare at Usagi. "How did this happen?" She didn't answer, just stood still and waited for her fear to diminish, but it didn't. He hesitantly reached out a hand and felt the glowing strands of the dress around her stomach. Slowly, as if he were sure she would break into a thousand moonbeams and disappear, he pulled her into a hug. "You have the same symbol on your forehead from when you healed me back at the school," he continued in a whisper. "And these wings," he ran his hands through a few of the feathers, causing her to shiver slightly. "Does this mean you're now my angel?"

Usagi couldn't speak. Trunks was acting so strangely now. What was his mood? For once she was completely in the dark. Was it something that he acquired when she was away, or did it just crop up now at the sight of her in a dress? She wore dresses all the time since her mother didn't think that it was proper for a girl to wear pants, so why was Trunks suddenly so out of it?

"I'm no angel, Trunks," she ventured quietly, hoping that her talking would snap him back to his normal, cocky self. No such luck.

Goten slowly backed away from them, frowning in confusion. Whatever Trunks was feeling, he knew that he didn't want to interfere or something bad was going to happen. All he knew was that Trunks really liked Usagi's new getup.

"Brats!" Vegeta barked in order to get their attention.

Trunks slowly came out of his stupor and released Usagi. He looked down and saw that fear still lingered on her face. "Heh, sorry."

She smiled a little and chose to ignore his strange behavior. "So, I take it you like this surprise?"

He just grinned.

Vegeta looked the two of them over for a long minute and filed away his son's reaction to study later. "Well, brat, you're certainly not an Ozzaru, and I know your human blood didn't have this effect because your older brother didn't change into a dress when he stared at the full moon." Gohan frowned at Vegeta, but didn't really mind because Usagi was giggling. "You're different, but Taresa was supposed to perform miracles."

Usagi nodded. "Yeah, that's what Bardock's crew said." She then went on to explain how she healed first Trunks'arm and then Commander Celerick's infant son.

Goku frowned. "So, wait, you said you could heal people? Hey! We really should keep her with us when we go into the next battle 'cause I bet she's better than any sensu bean!" Before anyone could comment on how dangerous that would be, they were interrupted.

"Enough!" King Yama burst out. "While I enjoyed the light show, everyone needs to get out. I don't have eternity to listen to your yakking. Whatever you have to say to each other you can say somewhere else."

Gohan nudged Supreme Kai into action. "Right. Well, King Yama, since you seem anxious for us to leave, I need to have your stamp on their papers that will allow them reentry into their world."

"Whatever, whatever you want, just get out of here!" the King waved his arms in agitation. "Out! Now!"

Supreme Kai turned to their group. "You all better transport back to Earth. Gohan, I'll talk with you later about continuing your training if you're still interested." Supreme Kai turned to study Usagi only to find that she was back in her normal clothes again. "I hope to meet you again, too."

Usagi frowned and shifted a little. This purple guy sure was strange, and he was back to staring at her again. Great. Something just wasn't right about the way he was looking at her, and he never did answer her question about why. Something told her that he didn't know about Taresa. '_Then why?'_

"We'd better go," Goku said cheerfully. "Bye King Yama!" As he was waving, Vegeta grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and shoved him out the door.

"Idiot."

Usagi pushed the issue of the Supreme Kai and his oddness out of her mind when everyone started to gather close together in preparation for transporting back to Earth. She stared at everyone arguing with each other about who would stand where and who would transport the group. Vegeta, of course, insisted that he do it, but Goku claimed that he had more practice at transporting between worlds, so he should do it. As they started to bicker and the kids started to imitate them, Usagi got the strangest feeling in her stomach. As odd as these people were with their powers and diverse personalities, they were a family. While families always fought over the stupidest of details, she knew that they loved each other. Even Vegeta and Goku, whether they would admit it or not, loved each other. This was her family. Could she really return to the Saiyajin world and give up on all of this?

"Usa! Come on, you're holding everyone up," Goten frantically gestured for her to slide into the space between him and Trunks.

She grinned and raced over. As the giant building with its wispy yellow clouds slowly disintegrated, only then did she see the group's reflection in one if the windows above. The Briefs were to her left while the Sons arranged themselves on her right. She was in the middle of these two great families and, somehow, she knew that's where she would always be.

* * *

AN: I know, I know, but I've been busy. Don't worry. I don't think I'm ever going to forget about this story. I've worked on it for so many years, it has become a part of me. Even if I don't update for a long while, I'm still thinking about it. So, this is an early Christmas present; but I think I can bust my butt and get another chapter out before I fly home for the holidays. Deirdre, this is your early Christmas present from China. Hope you like it.

Katlin Grace


	18. Confrontation

**Chapter 17**

Usagi jerked to awareness at the blare of a car horn above her. She stood gasping for breath, waiting for the world to come into focus. Her vision tilted alarmingly while her stomach threatened to spew up its last meal; so she closed her eyes while sucking in great gulps of air. Slowly she let her environment seep through her panic. The misting of the sprinklers coated the decaying stench of traffic behind her with the smell of freshly cut grass. The young sun gently bathed the lawn with light while fighting to rid the chill of the morning fog still clinging to the trees and brush lining the entrance path. Fingertips lightly stroked across the sensitive skin of her wrist.

"Usa, you alright?"

Her mouth quirked up at the sound of the sorely missed voice. "Trunks," she barely spoke above a whisper. She opened her eyes to stare into a pair of blue eyes quickly scanning her face to find the problem, and suddenly, her world was right once more. He was her anchor.

"It's just weird to be back, I guess," she spoke hesitantly, not wanting to alarm him. She allowed him to pull her into a quick hug, but rested her forehead on his shoulder and sighed, readying herself for the fight of her life waiting in the mansion of a house ahead. Capsule Corporation was the ideal place to host a family reunion. Usagi smiled grimly, at least if she needed medical attention it was just down the street instead of the hours of traveling time it would take from her house in the middle of the forest. Hopefully it wouldn't come to those extremes, but the sour feeling in her stomach refused to be rationalized away. Somehow she knew that her mother had grown used to her absence and wasn't going to take her sudden reappearance with any form of civility. She cringed, already hearing the plates crashing into walls and the sound of flesh hitting flesh.

Trunks slowly stroked her hair, feeling her grow tenser by the minute. He glared at his house and wished it would disappear just so she could avoid this particular conflict a little while longer.

"What's wrong Usagi?" the hesitantly cheerful sound of her father had her raising her head to glance at him.

"Shut up, Kakarot. Your stupid questions are already giving me a headache," Vegeta mumbled and quickly shot a glare to the man at his side.

Goku laughed nervously. "But, Vegeta, I only asked one question."

"One is too many for you," Vegeta growled.

While the adults began a heated bickering session, Goten eased closer to his friends. "Don't worry, Usa. We're here now. Dad isn't going to let anything bad happen to you."

"_I_'m not going to let anything bad happen to me." Usagi pulled away from Trunks, but frowned at him when he refused to relinquish his hold on her hand. "Trunks, let go."

He grinned. "No." Turning, he directed his attention to Goten while Usagi remained flabbergasted at his easy denial. "Goten, did you notice anything strange about your mom when everyone left to get Usa? Did she seem mad or anything?"

Goten glanced uneasily between his sister and his best friend, clearly not liking the underlying tension growing with the arm tug-of-war. "She just acted like she didn't really believe anything was going to change. I don't think she realizes that Usagi is coming back to stay."

Trunks jaw flexed. "Well, she is just going to have to get over it." His patience diminished, Trunks yanked Usagi off balance and into his arms. "I win," he whispered smugly with a fierce little grin.

Usagi futilely struggled for a moment more. "Trunks, I need to take care of this myself."

"Too bad," he gleefully responded. "We're helping, so get used to it."

Usagi's mutinous expression lasted a moment longer, before she ceded defeat and relaxed in Trunks's hold. This was just something she was going to have to get accustomed to again. Saiyajins were raised to be completely self-reliant; if they had a problem, they were expected to fix it themselves. That's why Bardock's interference with her beatings was so significant. He defied tradition and a lifetime of teaching to save her life. Usagi silently studied her friend's intense expression. He was willing to do the same. _'He's always willing to protect me.' _Perhaps something about her inspired his baser emotions and instincts. She closed her eyes and pressed her face against Trunks's neck. Whatever it was, she was grateful that it almost perpetually tied Trunks to her side.

Before anyone could comment further, Bulma burst from the front doors of the mansion and raced out to the lawn. "About time! I've been worried sick that the afterlife people would decide to keep you, and I'd never see any of you again."

Vegeta eyed his wife in silence, not willing to admit that he had missed her for the two days they were apart. How pathetic would that sound? He grinned instead, "There you go jumping to conclusions again with your inferior female mind."

Bulma fumed. "This _inferior _female mind is what keeps you living in that monstrosity of a house behind us." She marched ahead to poke him in the chest in a futile attempt at intimidation. "Furthermore, you can take that Saiyajin arrogance and shove it, because I'm upset and I think I'll scream if I hear just one more condescending word from you."

Vegeta slowly smiled. "You're already screaming."

Bulma's eye twitched. Without comment, she turned to confront everyone else. "Krillen and Chichi are waiting inside."

"Krillen?" Goku echoed in delighted surprise. "What's he doing here?"

Bulma shrugged. "He just said that he wanted to be here to offer some advice about the reunion."

Goku frowned as he mumbled to himself in confusion. "That's weird."

Vegeta snorted. "What is it that you humans always say? Oh yes, the pot calling the kettle black."

Goku suddenly grinned. "I didn't know you could cook, Vegeta!"

Vegeta closed his eyes in defeat. It was a sad day when he couldn't even insult the man. "It pains me to admit that we share the same blood heritage, Kakarot. Obviously, the Saiyajin race isn't all powerful if it could produce someone like you."

Goku was still trying to sort out if he had been complimented or insulted, when Vegeta promptly turned on his heel and marched toward the house. Trusting that his friend didn't mean anything bad by his comment, Goku called out while he raced to catch up. "Thanks, Vegeta! You're the best."

Trunks stared after the men in silence. "That settles it. Goten, he is definitely your father."

Goten fiercely frowned for a minute, before, "Hey!"

Usagi giggled. Goten rounded on her, "He's your dad too."

Usagi quieted. Was he really? Could someone who passed her infant self off to another man, someone she hadn't really met until a few months ago, someone who barely speaks to her, could that person still be her father just because he shared her blood? Or was it the man who cared for her, who taught her, who raced her to the hospital to keep her from bleeding out? Was that man her father?

Trunks shoved Goten in retaliation for putting such a strange look on Usagi's face. "Great going, Goten."

"What?"

Without answering, Trunks took hold of Usagi's hand. "Maybe we should go inside now."

Usagi reluctantly nodded. "I can do this." She looked around at the manicured lawn, the rising sun, and breathed in the crisp morning air before steeling herself for the next critical moments of her life. This coming conversation would most likely dictate her place in her family. There were so many possibilities. What if Goku didn't believe that his wife did anything wrong? What if Gohan didn't stand up for her? What if they all turned on her at the last minute? Would she survive this time? What if her mom started loving her now that Goku was back? It was that last possibility that confused her the most. She really wanted to belong somewhere, but could she forgive her mother for everything? Was it in her to forgive something that monstrous?

"Usa?" Goten asked hesitantly. She was staring off into space and getting paler by the minute.

At her brother's voice, she jerked slightly and glanced uneasily at the looming mansion. Why was she suddenly so apprehensive? She faced a raging Saiyajin warrior with less fear. It really didn't matter why she was scared, just that she was; and Saiyajins fear nothing. Had she learned nothing from the months with the Saiyajins? Did she go through all of that only to revert back to her fearful, timid self? Was she really that weak of a person?

Taking a deep breath, she headed toward the house at a brisk pace wishing the confrontation was over. Now wasn't the time to be weak. '_I'm a Saiyajin; Saiyajins aren't weak. _She promised herself that she was going to face this with the same courage her grandfather showed when he faced the king. She had his blood in her veins; his bravery was buried somewhere deep inside. _'Now is the time to dig it up and show it to everyone.' _She took a calming breath to steady her nerves and stepped over the threshold of the mansion and into her old life.

* * *

Usagi stared at the woman who was the only parent she had for the entirety of her life. Her gaze skipped briefly to her father and reluctantly dismissed him. He didn't know. He wasn't equipped with the experience to handle her problems. What did he know of domestic disputes? He had disappeared early in her older brother's life to chase the promise of more power, more battles. He may be a warrior with no parallel, but whatever paternal inclinations he had didn't stand a chance against the wild surging of his pure Saiyajin blood. No, he was no father to her.

She returned her silent inquiry to the woman who birthed her, beat her, and shoved her towards death's door. She had walked through that particular door on her own and had emerged greatly changed. Now as she examined this paragon of cruelty, she wasn't impressed with what she saw. She didn't look so imposing in comparison to the raging Saiyajins with their great bulk. No, she looked ... petite. Usagi was tempted to fall into her Saiyajin mind set and call her weak, but no woman who determinedly held onto her hatred for years could ever be described as weak. No, that strong of a conviction could cause miracles or call down curses.

Her hands clinched briefly before she forced her fists to relax. Usagi was determined not to let the woman crawl under her skin. She meant nothing to her anymore. She was but a distant wind. Fierce, powerful, but quickly spent. Its power could cause damage and affect lives, but, with the passage of time, would be but a footnote in history.

Silence reigned. They all sat now with coffee mugs in hand, pretending to be civilized. Usagi smirked. Pretending to ignore the fact that her homecoming wasn't a joyous occasion for everyone. Chichi's lack of emotional input was a strain on the gathering. Goku was confused by her stony expression while everyone else merely waited for the fireworks to begin. Krillen was the only one who tried to fill the void, knowing that everyone needed time to sort out their feelings.

"Usagi! It's so awesome to see you again. So, you were living with the Saiyajins, huh? What an adventure!" he chuckled while trying to keep from wincing. He knew _he_ would never enjoy living around the moody warriors. '_I'd rather have the blasted harps and togas any day.' _He discreetly glanced over to the Saiyajin prince and knew that Vegeta guessed his inner thoughts. No doubt he was replaying all the times that he quaked before their power and rage.

Usagi watched as her principal's face burned red in embarrassment and wondered at its cause.

"Bunch of barbarians," Chichi muttered to herself.

Usagi bristled indignantly. "Not really. I learned a lot from them," she contradicted softly.

Chichi went rigid, surprised that she had dared to speak without direct permission. She scoffed, "You would. You belong with the blood-thirsty heathens." She sipped primly from her mug, "Savages, the lot of you."

Usagi's fists clinched. "Savages?" She seemed to drawl out the word, as if testing it. Her lips twisted up into a sick imitation of a smile, as she decided to cut directly to the matter. There was no point in denying what everyone in the room but her poor uninformed father already knew and expected. Another reason prompted her to rush to this confrontation. She didn't want her newfound courage to dissipate abruptly. "Funny how those '_savages'_ don't beat their children until they can't walk and then throw them in the basement to die."

Chichi stiffened, but said nothing.

"They don't starve them either." Usagi climbed to her feet and slowly made her way across the room to where her mother sat demurely.

"I also never saw them try to force their daughters to drink glass." She silently stalked around the coffee table, not taking her eyes off the woman before her. No one else existed in the room. They were inconsequential. This was her battle.

And she refused to lose.

She stood directly in front of her now. Usagi studied the raven-haired woman, and remembered a time when she thought that she was the prettiest woman to walk the earth, that the sun and the stars revolved around her. Usagi remembered when she realized this beautiful creature didn't want her. She vowed to do anything, to purify herself through pain so that someday she would be worthy of her mother's affection. But, no matter how much blood she lost, this woman would never love her. Now, she realized that she didn't need this witch's love.

She stared into the black eyes burning with some inner rage and revealed the last sin, "They certainly didn't tie their daughters by their hair to the tallest tree in the yard during a storm and then leave her for some stray lightning bolt to find."

The tension in the room sizzled at her back.

Chichi unclenched her rapidly ticking jaw and quirked a brow while daintily sipping from her teacup, "Oh? Don't they? And here I thought that to raise you properly I'd have to be as ruthless as they were."

Usagi tilted her head to the side and mused aloud, "And yet they show compassion while you dirty your hands with attempted murder. If the _monkey savages_ won't stoop so low as to kill their own kin, then," She locked gazes with the woman sneering down at her in disgust. "What does that make you?' Usagi smirked cruelly, "A blood-thirsty bitch, maybe?"

The tea cup clattered against its saucer.

"What's wrong, _mother_? You can try and kill me, but you can't handle a little name calling." She _tsk_ed. "How horrible for you."

Goku frowned and leaned forward to better study his wife. "Chichi, what's going on? What is she talking about?"

Chichi sneered, "Lies. Dying has obviously effected her mind."

Gohan drew in a deep breath and waded in, trying to correct his past mistakes. There was no way he was letting his sister stand alone again. He straightened, "No. They're not lies."

Chichi locked gazes with her oldest son causing him to cringe back against the fury he saw springing from their black depths, knowing that Usagi was most familiar with that look. '_How can she stand it?'_

He opened and closed his mouth a few times, frustrated that he couldn't quite find the right words to begin this dark tale. As soon as Krillen gripped his shoulder in a silent show of support, Gohan knew that he wasn't alone in the guilt. That made it easier somehow.

He never broke eye contact as he haltingly related every injustice, every fight that he had gladly walked away from. The strangest thing happened once he finally started bringing to light the dark secrets of the Son household, he felt an inner peace sprout from within him. _'The deception is over. It's finally over,'_ kept echoing in his mind. Relief poured out of him. He knew that his father was honorable and that he would choose what was best for everyone all around. As cowardly as it sounded, he was just grateful that the decision was now out of his hands. Regardless of the fact that his father was bound to be disappointed in what type of man he had become, he knew that this was the right path. As he somberly explained, making no effort to disguise his part in the torment, his mother gazed at him in horror.

"Traitor! I can't believe you would betray your own mother! It's that devil Saiyajin blood coming out in you. No matter what I've done, it still taints you!" Chichi leaped from her seat, trembling with rage.

"Cease your screeching, woman!" Vegeta boomed. "You will let the boy finish."

Chichi hissed. She looked down and advanced towards her daughter. "This is all your fault! He was _mine_ until you came back. Why couldn't you just stay dead?!"

Trunks snarled and started forward, only to have his father pull him up short. "Let them handle it."

"But –"

Vegeta shot a glare down to his impetuous son, "Goku needs to solve the consequences of his absence. This isn't our fight."

Trunks jerked away from his father's hold, but clinched his fists and held back from charging in and protecting his friend. He hated that he didn't have a right to interfere.

"Chichi!" Goku, shouted in shock. Who was this fiery woman trembling with fury? Where was the sweet woman he married? He hardly recognized his wife. Had he really been gone that long? Was this his fault? "Is it true?" he asked softly, searching her eyes for the truth.

Chichi reeled away, devastated by his accusations. Her son not only betrayed her, but he was turning her own husband against her. She could see the condemnation in his eyes. "How dare you ask me that! Look at what conflict that little devil's spawn is creating! I was simply trying to save our family from her vile presence. I knew she would corrupt our family, and she has!" Tears sprung into her eyes. "This is all her fault!" Before anyone could act, Chichi erupted into violence.

Usagi had noticed the crazy, desperate roll of her eyes and was prepared. As the fist launched toward her, she carefully stepped aside. Bardock taught her the value of dodging. This pitiful creature wasn't going to lay a hand on her ever again.

Vegeta grabbed his son to keep him from interfering. "Watch, brat. She doesn't need your help; she's dodging everything. There's no way that a mere human can catch her. She's safe," he kept repeating, trying to rationalize through his son's anger. "Do you really think she's going to get hurt with all of us watching? Calm down!"

But Trunks couldn't listen. He couldn't sit back and just watch her get attacked. "I don't care if she can dodge a whole damn army; she's getting my help."

Vegeta gritted his teeth, in annoyance, but was secretly pleased with his son's comments. "Stubborn brat," he grumbled.

"You turned them against me," Chichi shrieked. "Stand still so I can beat you properly. You will bleed for this! You– You–" Her rage was choking the breath from her. She looked around and knew that she had just given herself away. Horror dominated her husband's expression, and she could practically feel her grip on the family sliding away into oblivion.

"No, no, Goku, sweetie, don't –" When she saw that her words weren't registering, the tears started to fall freely down her cheeks. She slowly collapsed onto her knees, sobbing. "Goku, you've got to believe me! I would never try and hurt our family. You left and I was so sad, so angry. I wasn't thinking. She was so different; she didn't matter anyway. Don't, don't leave me!"

Goku stared at the crumpled form of his wife in shock. Nothing was making sense. What had happened to his peaceful home when he was away? '_All this because I haven't been around?_

'_Kami__, what have I done?'_

"So, I'm not part of your '_family_'?" Usagi asked over the sobbing. "I look so different from Gohan and Goten, I look like an outsider, so it was okay to try and kill me? That's why?" Usagi clinched her eyes in pain. It wasn't how she acted or who she was, it was something as uncontrollable as her appearance. All the pain was because she had light hair instead of dark, blue eyes instead of black? It was almost unfathomable, this hatred spawned out of grief and directed by prejudice. She had lived through it and died by it, this senseless hatred.

"Well, whoever said that I wanted to be part of your family anyway?" Usagi spoke recklessly, not wanting to admit her anguish.

Goten's shocked gasp was swallowed under the pain circulating through the room.

"It took me dying to realize what a coward I am." Usagi addressed her sobbing mother. "I just stood and let you get away with ... everything. I couldn't find the strength to stop you because you had convinced me that it was all my fault, that I was less in every way." She dispassionately studied her family. "I was wrong. I realized that I could never earn your love through suffering. I don't need your love anymore, so I'm not going to let you hurt me ever again." Usagi stared into the eyes of the woman who birthed her, who helped to mold her through the fire's of hell. "You have no love for me, no respect. You are no mother to me, no friend." She whispered, "You are nothing. You are nothing to me."

"Bitch, bitch..."

Usagi turned her back on the curses falling from the trembling lips of the woman behind her. She ignored everybody and walked straight to the man who claimed to be her father.

Goku hesitantly leaned forward. He was so unsure of what to do. His guilt weighed him down, causing him to sink into the realm of panicked uncertainty.

"I don't know you," Usagi stated bluntly, voice shaking from the enormity of her emotions.

Goku gulped. "I'm your father."

Usagi tilted her head. "Truly? Does a _father_ let one of his kids get beaten daily?"

Goku winced. "I didn't know," he whispered passed a throat that was rapidly closing.

"And who's fault is that?" She pressed on mercilessly. "Was training really so much more important than us? Did you care so little?" Usagi clamped down on the tears that were threatening to spill. Now was not the time to show weakness.

Goku stared into the vibrant blue eyes that he had wanted to see months ago. She wasn't shy like he had originally thought. '_She's finally got a backbone,'_ but he could see the uncertainty, the vulnerability bubbling up beneath the striking blue color. He turned away, leaned back in his chair to think.

He didn't even know that she was being abused in her own home. Goku clinched his eyes and fought for some excuse he could give. The savior of the world, after training for years in preparation for some great battle ahead, was oblivious to injustice in his own family. '_Are we a family?' _He looked down at the sobbing form of his wife, and thought back to the time when Gohan was but a boy and they all seemed so happy. '_Was it all that long ago?'_ It seemed like it was yesterday when everyone didn't have a care in the world. _'Where did it all go wrong?'_ Or was it wrong the whole time and he never bothered to notice?

Goku sighed. He knew that his wife was a little demanding of her children, often protecting them from life in general and becoming unnaturally upset over the least offense to her schedule, her great plans for the future. Had that protective, harsh streak have gotten out of hand and morphed into a murderous rage? Did the grief his death and inattention cause that? He looked down at his daughter's righteous face, at her pure, innocent face and could only see the stark demanding expression that belong on someone much older. She had grown up so fast, her childhood doomed to failure the minute he entered the Next Dimension. He thought back to his own half-wild roots and thought of his youthful adventures, searching for the Dragon Balls, training to fight, to curb his burning blood, and meeting friends all along the way. Did she even miss that part of her childhood that she'll probably never have now? Was she really given the chance to live at all?

He stared down at her for a long minute and didn't know what to do, where to start to begin to make it up to her. There was so much that a simple apology would never heal. "Usagi, I–" his confusion must have shown on his face because Krillen hastily interjected.

"Goku, we need to talk."

Goku couldn't drag his gaze from the pleading blue ones staring at him so sweetly. He whispered, shamed that his best friend was hearing all of his failures as a father, "Can't this wait?"

Krillen cleared his throat. "Since my first talk with Usagi, I've suspect something of this nature was going on, so I've been thinking of a solution. Goku, I'm a principal at an elementary school and we occasionally get situations like this. We're trained to deal with family conflicts of this nature and know the procedures that have to be taken."

Goku tore his gaze from his daughter and stared hopefully at his best friend; maybe someone knew the best way to handle this. "Procedures? What procedures?"

Krillen smiled grimly, "Come with me and we'll discuss them in private."

Goku frowned, sensing that there was something more to his friend's expression, something he found uneasy. "Okay."

Usagi watched the two men walk outside and felt them fly a distance away. Was her father leaving right when she needed him most?

Gohan slowly approached his distraught mother. "Mom? Maybe you should lie down or something. Here, let me put you to bed."

Chichi slapped his helping hand away. "No! Don't touch me! It's over, it's all over now," she moaned as she rocked herself, seeking comfort. Fresh tears trailed down her face. "I tried so hard. I was such the perfect Mom, training my boys to be such perfect gentlemen, my perfect baby boys." She hiccuped and glared at Usagi. "And then you had to ruin it. You turned them against me! Me!" Just when Trunks was going to step in, not liking the murderous look in her eyes, she seemed to deflate. "My marriage is over now. He'll never forgive me for this," she moaned again and buried her face in her hands.

Vegeta sneered down at the pitiful creature crumbled at his feet. It shamed him to know that something so weak had infected the Saiyajin gene pool. Who knew if her weakness was hereditary. '_Pathetic weak little bitch'_ was the most accurate and polite way he could describe her. Dismissing her from his mind, he frown at the door and wondered what pearls of wisdom the human was imparting to his sparing partner. The word 'procedures' had him worried.

* * *

"I can't do that, Krillen! She's my daughter," Goku sounded stunned and outraged. He just couldn't; it wasn't possible. The mere thought was like a poison burning through his mind. "That's the coward's way out."

Krillen sighed patiently. "No, Goku, it's the responsible one. Tell me truthfully," he prayed for courage and cool rational, "Can you cook?"

Goku blinked at the unexpected question. "No. You know I can't."

Krillen lifted an eyebrow. "Not anything?"

Goku shifted nervously. "Well, I can catch fish and roast them over a fire."

Krillen pressed on, "Can you clean?"

"Well, no, not without breaking something and making an even bigger mess," Goku laughed awkwardly.

"Drive? Do the taxes? Hell, help Goten with his homework? Let me answer those for you. No, you can't," Krillen mercilessly continued. "You need a wife who knows how to do those things. You need Chichi; she's the order and the discipline that keeps your household running."

Goku frowned, "What kind of household is it when she can beat one of her own children?!"

"I'm not saying that it's a perfect system, but she was normal when you were around, so it stands to reason that she will be again now that you're back. But, she has gone after Usagi even when you're in the same room. Mother and daughter do not mix, on any level." Krillen paused and said softly, "You have to choose one, and you can't physically survive and raise kids without their mother."

Goku stalked away, ran his hands through his spiky black hair, and pulled. Hard. "You want me to just give her up, is that it? Just turn my back on her after every horror that she's been through. Shouldn't I, of all people, be supporting her right now? Doesn't she deserve a little mercy from at least one of her parents?"

Krillen hesitated when he saw tears sparkling in his friend's eyes. "They have people who can help her cope, give her a steady home situation so that she can succeed in life and not have to worry if she's going to be beaten unconscious when she comes home late. Besides, are you going to feed Gohan and Goten fish every night, live in a pigsty, and watch your youngest struggle with schoolwork because you don't know the first thing about home parenting?"

Goku winced, but didn't back down. "I could learn."

Krillen stared at him with pity. "Goku, you're a genius when it comes to all things martial arts, but you have a hard time extending that genius into real life situations. You would burn the house down before you could cook an edible meal, and then where would your family be?"

Goku winced and turned away. Ashamed at his great lack of fatherhood skills. He can blast enemies to tiny bits but can't boil water. The uneven cards fate dealt him caused a bitter taste to coat his mouth. He remembered the time that he and Piccolo tried to get driver's licenses and what a disaster that turned out to be.

Krillen wavered and reached for his friend's shoulder. "It doesn't mean that everything can't be like you want it. If Chichi gets some psychiatric counseling, Usagi might be allowed to live here, eventually. It's just going to take time, is all."

Goku pleaded, "You really think so?"

Krillen hesitated. He knew that because the abuse had gone to such extremes the powers that be would probably not let her return, but they also didn't like splitting up families. "You should go tell her while I make the phone call."

Goku grabbed his friend's shirt with trembling hands. "How? How do I tell her something like this?"

Krillen's eyes grew misty. "Like a father that she never had. You're a good man, Goku, and a strong leader. You care. She'll see how much this is costing you, if not now, eventually, she'll see what a courageous man you are." He squeezed his friend's shoulders. "This is the right thing to do, the only thing to do."

Goku stepped away and took a calming breath. "Kami, help me."

* * *

Usagi was leaning against her younger brother and letting his perky chatter sooth her rattled emotions when they walked in. The room grew quiet when the new guest, a haggard-looking woman in a business suit, appeared flanked by the two warriors. What now? Usagi studied the new addition to the room and was even more confused. Why was there a stranger here?

The woman scanned the room and seemed to grasp the situation in a single glance. Usagi shifted uneasily when the woman's slate gray eyes bored into her. "This is the child?" she asked Krillen. Before Krillen could answer the woman was kneeling down. "You must be Usagi."

Usagi frowned at the sugar-coated greeting. What was it about adults that made them think kids responded better to high-pitched singsong voices, like some well-trained pet? "Who are you?"

Goku stepped forward and squatted down next to his daughter. "Usagi, I know you probably won't understand the reasons for this, but trust– well, just know that even though I hate to do this, it is for the best."

Usagi tilted her head and frowned. "Do what?"

Goku sighed, grateful that she didn't immediately reject the idea. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I'm not a good enough man to take care of you. I wasn't able to be here and protect you, and now that I am here, I still can't give you what you need. I have failed you in almost every way a father can," he choked on his words. "And I can't promise that I won't keep failing you." He took a deep, stuttering breath. "This woman is a social worker. She's going to take care of you because I can't."

Usagi glanced at the haggard woman and wasn't too impressed with what she saw. "'Take care of me' how?"

Goku swallowed nervously and realized that the room was deathly quiet. Everyone was waiting for an answer. "She's going to take you to a place where other children are, where you'll find a new family and a new home."

Trunks attempted to dash forward, but his father easily restrained him. "What?! You can't do that! Usagi didn't do anything and you're sending her away. Take the bitch instead," he pointed at Chichi, still huddled on the floor, though her tears were rapidly drying. "She caused all of this, she should have to leave! This isn't fair!"

"Away?" Usagi whispered. Her voice was barely discernible over Trunks's struggles. "You don't want me?" She tried to shrug it off, but it hurt that this man who was the spitting image of her grandfather didn't want her. The courage and determination to confront her fears, suddenly evaporated as quickly as a puddle of piss in the Sahara.

Goku clinched his eyes shut in pain. "That's not it. I always wanted a little girl, but it's not safe for you at home, so you have to find a better one. We failed you, and this is the only way that I can even begin to make it right."

Could she really do it? Usagi looked around at the people crowding up the room and thought about leaving them for good. She had only just returned and now it looked like she would have to give them all up again. She thought back to the time she spent in the afterlife and, while it was hard and at times lonely, it was a good experience for her - not having to worry about pain and rules all the time. Usagi knew that she could handle the time away, but this would be even more painful because her old life would be so close. In the background she could hear Trunks's outraged comments, and knew that it would be nearly impossible to leave him again.

Could she stay though? She glanced down at her mother and knew that even though everything was out in the open that she would try again. It would be impossible to live in the same house and not have to constantly face her mother's rage. Things wouldn't change that much. She remembered all of the nights crying with pain, the days hazed with hunger, and the weeks spent in forced silence.

She couldn't go back to that. Never again.

Usagi stared into the tormented eyes of this man and knew that for whatever reason he felt this was the right course. All of the stories about his integrity and selflessness suddenly flooded to mind. She may not have a reason to trust him, but everyone she knew stood by him, laid down their very lives for him. So, the stories must be true. She swallowed painfully before whispering softly, "Alright."

Trunks ceased his struggles. "What? No! Usa, don't go, don't do this!"

Usagi turned to her older brother and surprised him by wrapping him in a bear hug. "I'm going to miss you Gohan. Thanks for standing up for me."

The teenager slowly relaxed. "It was about time I did something right. You don't need to worry about us. I'll look after Goten. Walk in peace, Usagi." He stroked her hair once before setting her away from him and pushing her towards their brother.

"Goten, Goten! You can't let her do this. Stop her!" Trunks screamed at his best friend while frantically trying to pry his father's hands loose.

"You don't want to be part of our family?" Goten's voice was smaller than hers had been. "Is that why you're leaving?"

Usagi smiled sadly. "I always will be your big sis. Goku says I have to leave, so i-it's probably the right thing to do. Maybe you can visit me sometime wherever they put me." She tried to sound cheerful, but it came across sounding very forced. "Besides, these new people can't be worse than Chichi, right?"

Goten looked doubtful. "I don't want you to go," he said simply.

Usagi smiled ruefully. "I know. I don't want to leave you either, but I can't stay. I don't think I can go through it all again. Not now. Not after having a few months of freedom." She wrapped him tightly in a hug. "Take care of Trunks for me, alright?"

He reluctantly nodded.

"Usagi! You promised! You promised that you would never leave, what do you call doing this, huh?" Trunks cried, as he fought all the harder against his father's unrelenting hold.

She stared sadly at him. "I can't go through it all again, Trunks. I just can't."

Trunks panicked when he saw the determination in her eyes. "I could protect you, I could make it safe."

She smiled with regret and quietly disagreed. "No you couldn't. I'm not safe, Trunks. Sooner or later she's going to kill me, then what are you going to do? Wish me back with the dragon balls? She'll only kill me later. You had to call in a favor to save me the last time, I don't think that can work twice. She'll keep trying and trying, just like last time, until I'm gone. If I leave now, maybe she'll be normal again. Gohan and Goten need a mom, and Goku needs a wife, I don't want to take that all away from them. I don't want to leave, but I have to."

"Damn it! This isn't goodbye. I won't let it be. I'm not just going to give you up without a fight!" With one mighty jerk, he pulled away from his father's grasp and made a lunge for the social worker who was watching this all with jaded-eyes, patiently waiting for the drama to wind down.

"You have to, brat," Vegeta yanked his son out of the air and jabbed the pressure point along the side of his neck, dropping Trunks into unconsciousness in the matter of seconds. Usagi gasped when she saw her best friend crumple helplessly to the floor. The room was quiet.

"V-Veggie!" Usagi cried and wrapped her shaking arms tightly around his waist. She hadn't expected to feel this gut-wrenching emotional turmoil so soon after leaving her grandfather and her people on Vegeta-sei.

Vegeta's eyes widened in surprise as he stared down at the crying girl clinging to him. He shifted awkwardly, trying to identify the strange constriction in his chest, alternating between wanting to push her away and allowing her time to hug him. When he felt that enough time had passed for her tears to wind down, he grabbed a fistful of her shirt and for one brief moment embraced her before setting her away from him. "It's time, brat."

Usagi let her tears flow freely, not ashamed to show her unhappiness with the situation. She knew that there was no way to adequately express her emotions to this man who endeavored to suppress anything besides rage. She wanted to tell him that he was more like a father to her than any other man in her life. She wanted to tell him that he was her role model and her king, and that she loved him. Unbeknownst to her, everything that went unspoken shone through her eyes. Vegeta turned away and swallowed painfully.

Usagi quietly knelt by her best friend's prone body, both relieved and horribly saddened that for the second time, she didn't have a chance to say goodbye. She knew that this wasn't really goodbye, that she would see him again. Whatever family she ended up with, she knew that she would convince them to let her visit Trunks and her brothers. She had to convince them because they were a part of her, they were the things she valued most in this world.

Usagi ran a hand through his hair and smiled when she remembered the time she finally convinced him to let her braid it. He made her promise to never tell another soul - especially his dad or Goten. Usagi rolled her watery eyes. '_That Saiyajin pride again._' How will his pride fare when he woke to find her gone, yet again? She recalled the anger and the misery she saw reflected in his eyes when he confronted her in the bar on Vegeta-sei. What will he feel this time?

With regret, Usagi untangled her fingers from the lavender locks, dried her tears, and turned to face the woman who would be instrumental to her future. She took a shuttering breath and closed her eyes for one brief moment, searching inside herself for some emotional anchor and surprisingly found a presence of peace buried deep inside. Drawing on that for courage, she opened her eyes and locked gazes with the world-weary woman.

"I'm ready."

* * *

I know that this is extremely late in coming, so I'm not going to give any excuses. I hope all of you enjoyed this new chapter. I can't promise when the next chapter will be out, but probably sometime in the next few months. I hope that the next chapter is going to surprise all of you.

Katlin Grace


	19. Tsukinos

**Chapter 18**

The setting sun cast its warm rays through the open window of Usagi's new room, turning the moon- and star-covered blue walls almost lavender; the scattered celestial bodies flickering orange and pink in the dying light. A warm breeze picked up causing the wind chimes to tinkle in the rose garden below. The scent of freshly bloomed roses swept through her room, but Usagi couldn't appreciate the splendid scenery because she sat huddled on her cushioned window seat, staring at the dying embers of the sun's light, praying for warmth. She hadn't been warm since the night she left her real family more than a month ago.

The past month was a nightmare of psychological exams by doctors who had sugar sweet voices and interviews with social workers who had jaded, pitying eyes. Papers were signed, testimonies given, and investigations closed. They kept telling her that she was such a beautiful, sweet little girl and so she was sure to be adopted out quickly.

And they were right.

After but a few days with the adoption agency, a warm, patient couple waltzed in, took one look at her and decided that she was perfect for their family no matter what problems the psychological affects of her traumatized past would undoubtedly cause them in the future. Since they had such a close relationship with one of the social workers who knew them to be kind-hearted parents and selfless neighbors, Usagi was processed quickly and now, miraculously, not a month into the system, had a nice home in the suburbs, a new family that included a baby brother, and a room all to herself. She even had a new name. Tsukino.

Usagi swallowed painfully, shutting her eyes against the memory of the moment that she was led into this strange, new house and met her infant brother, Sammy. No! Usagi jerked her head, attempting to banish her unpleasant thoughts. This wasn't her family and that wasn't her brother! She refused to let them try and replace Goten and Trunks. They wouldn't be able to do it. Her heart cried out for them, still morned their loss and their soothing company. Even though the psychology lady said that she should try and forget her old life and only look toward the future, she couldn't! How was she supposed to ignore the gaping whole that was in her heart, the sadness that pulled her down until she could barely find reason to wake each morning. They alone understood her completely.

As much as Usagi wanted, she couldn't find it in herself to hate this new life or the people in it. Her new parents seemed to know that she needed time to cope with this drastic change in situations, and thus allowed her as much room and personal time that she requested. They didn't press her to converse and didn't demand anything from her. When she lapsed into silences at the dinner table, the remembered horrors of past meals reflecting in her eyes, she would shudder awake and notice immediately that everyone had stopped. Tears would be running down Irene's face and Ken would be staring in shock. Usagi bit back a stab of guilt remembering how every time, Irene, her new mother, would make a move to hug her, she would pull back. It wasn't this strange woman – who smelled of freshly baked cookies – 's comfort that she craved.

Just as the sun dipped below the horizon, taking with it the last residual rays of warmth, Usagi heard her new mother crying in the garden below.

"– don't know if I can take much more of this, Irene!" she heard her new father's frustrated voice. "You're making yourself sick with misery because of that child's past."

Irene sniffled. "It's all so sad, Ken. I don't know how the world can be so cruel as to punish such an innocent little girl. Every time I see her eyes darken and the memories overwhelm her, I keep thinking back to that report we received from the agency. How could her own mother..." she trailed off with sobs.

Usagi tensed with dread. _'What report?'_

"This is exactly what I mean! Darling...I don't know if I can handle this. I hate seeing you cry and," his voice caught as he tried to express his innermost thoughts. "This might be all too much for us right now."

Irene paused. "What are you trying to say?"she whispered.

Ken swallowed, thinking hard about if he even wanted to voice what was in his heart. "I'm just worried about you and Sammy, and what kind of parents we will make if we let this girl's past drain our emotional stability. She has you in tears nearly every night."

Irene said nothing. She simply sat on the garden bench and looked at the roses shrouded in the shadows caused by the streetlights that just winked to life. A warm breeze caused them to bob and wave.

Ken's voice was almost a whisper. "We're still on the 30 day trial period..." he trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence, but let the suggestion hang in the air.

Usagi's brows furrowed in confusion. _'Trial period?'_

Irene stared ahead, her dried tears cooling on her cheeks, and said tiredly, "If we don't take care of her, then who will? How will her life turn out if she's raised in an orphanage or in and out of foster homes?"

It was Ken's turn to be silent. There was a long pregnant moment, where the crickets' nightly serenade and the distant noise of air traffic was the only thing that penetrated the peaceful evening. Finally, he sighed. "I just don't know."

Usagi pulled back in shock and stumbled across the hall to the bathroom where she promptly lost the dinner that she just scarfed down not two hours ago. '_They don't want me either. No one wants me...'_ With each violent heave, tears squeezed from her clinched eyes and trickled down her nose.

* * *

That night, as she lay shivering under a mountain of blankets, she stared into the darkness with blind eyes, mentally replaying her trial-parents' conversation. She heard Goku's deep voice echoing through her head condemning her to a life away from her family. Just when everything else was getting better, she had to leave. '_Like they didn't want her around._' Rationally she knew that her moving out of the house was the best option, but her emotions couldn't be so easily pacified. She missed playing with Goten and hugging Trunks. She wanted to watch Vegeta train and hear one of his stories. Sometimes, she would just lay in bed at night and concentrate on their kis in the distance, and let the traces of energy lull her to sleep. That way she felt as if she was with them at least in spirit.

She curled into a ball and buried her face into the tear-soaked pillow to stifle her sobs. The hollow feeling in her belly began to ache as her mind continued its torture. Just when she thought sleep would never come, her loneliness and depression seemed to overwhelm her waking mind.

It was cold in her dream. Bone-aching bitter cold. She knew it was a dream somehow, and so didn't panic. When she opened her eyes, she immediately lost her breath. A blanket of stars twinkled across the black of the night sky, lighting the snow that blanketed the landscape. It was quite possibly the most beautiful scene she had ever laid eyes on in her short life. Usagi turned around and could see nothing but ice mountains and snow-filled valleys stretching off into the horizon.

Some inner force drove her to pick a random direction and start walking, only to immediately sink to her waist in snow. The cold started biting at her exposed skin, but she ignored the pain and pulled herself out of the ice hole, and decided that flying would be smarter. When she started to float effortlessly above the sparkling landscape, the desolate heavens opened up and unleashed a frigid gust of wind heralding the first of many blizzards. Usagi plummeted back to the ground, hugging herself for warmth. Her now snow-covered pajamas were hardly adequate protection against the elements. She curled her bare toes in the snow and started shivering violently.

* * *

In the waking world, Irene couldn't sleep. Ever since the talk with her husband early that evening she was feeling horribly guilty and emotionally torn. Guilty because she had secretly been thinking the same thing. '_At the rate that girl eats, we'll be out of house and home before the month is over. Who would have thought someone so petite could pack in that much food?'_ she thought humorously.

Really, it wasn't the monetary commitment so much as the emotional one that was causing her to seriously consider her husband's choice. She knew that he would support her in whatever decision that she made because she was already emotionally invested in the girl and would be most affected by the outcome. Here was where she was emotionally torn. The girl did need a home, badly, and she already cared about her as if she were her own, but could she really continue putting her family and herself through the soul searching and the heartbreak that it would take to help this child fight her demons and have a normal life?

Irene silently approached Usagi's door and peaked in, not wanting to disturb her, but wanting to look in and make sure that she was sleeping soundly. The past few nights, she often heard her moving about in the room and knew that she still wasn't comfortable with her surroundings. She noticed that the blankets were hopelessly tangled and started to tuck them back into order, but when she caught sight of her possible daughter-to-be, she screamed.

* * *

Vegeta growled at the shrill ringing of the phone. '_What damned civilization would invent a contraption that was designed to interrupt you in the most annoying way possible?! Damn humans.'_

"Let the machine pick it up," he barked at the Gravity Room computer before blasting one of the sparring droids to tiny bits in an effort to vent his annoyance. The bits of droid joined the many others that he had blasted away this past month while trying to make a decision and come to grips with the frustration that was plaguing him. While he had mastered using his mind to analyze the pros and cons of situations and decisions, he had an extremely difficult time shutting his mind up and listening to his heart, especially because most of the time he didn't want to acknowledge that particular organ. Despite what his arch rival proclaimed, he still felt that having emotion made a fighter weak.

"Excuse me, Master. The phone message was logged in as Urgent. Do you still wish to listen at a later time?" the mechanical voice of the computer informed him.

Vegeta smirked at the 'Master'. '_Now, that's the way to be interrupted.'_ "Fine. Let's hear it so I can get back to training." He crossed his arms and scowled at the computer consul.

"Bulma, this is Dr. Haruna from the County Hospital. You need to get to the hospital immediately because I was just informed that the girl you brought in a few months ago, Ms. Son Usagi, has just been checked into the Emergency room. I am still unsure of her current condition, but thought that you might want to know."

* * *

Usagi was trudging through the blinding wind of snow, exhausted from what seemed like hours of pulling herself out from one hole after another. Her muscles ached from constantly shivering, and her wet clothes were literally plastered to her hunched body, but still she pushed forward following whatever compulsion was calling her. The howling of the wind seemed to grow louder with each passing moment, until finally Usagi had to stop and cover her ears because it was so piercing.

When exhaustion finally weighted her down along with a blanket of snow, she collapsed on her knees, head hanging, seeming to melt into the icy ground. This place would be the death of her, she knew that now. She gazed around the barren wasteland as tears began to clog her throat. No one was here to save her; she seemed to be the only one in this dream world. '_They all left me,'_ she thought deliriously.

Her body suddenly seized as every muscle clenched in an effort to create enough warmth to keep functioning. Usagi screamed into the night, but no one was there to hear her, and all she was rewarded with was a mouthful of snow. Finally, her body collapsed into a moaning, shivering heap on the icy ground.

When she opened her eyes to stare miserably at the gaily winking stars above some movement at the edge of her vision drew her attention. With much effort, and a mounting sense of dread, she turned her head and locked gazes with the ice blue eyes of a lone white arctic wolf. She stared at it for a long moment, noting its unusual size and scrawny build and concluded that it was probably very hungry and planning on making her its next meal. Before she could gather enough energy to launch herself into the sky and to safety, her body seized again, violently sending her crashing against her icy bed.

Some precious minutes later, when she finally came to, Usagi opened her eyes and froze. She didn't dare to breathe because the beast had bent its mighty head down to sniff her face. A cold sheen of sweat suddenly coated her entire body, and immediately froze in the blizzard conditions. Her muscles clenched again, but she amazingly held back her scream, not wanting to startle the wolf into action. Even at death's door, Usagi couldn't help but notice that the animal was absolutely breathtaking in its beauty. '_Are you lonely too, little wolf?'_ she stared into its glowing eyes and accepted her death.

The wolf suddenly snarled, baring its sharp teeth and launched itself at her prone form. Usagi refused to be a coward and watched it coming for her, knowing that the cold had paralyzed her body and stolen her great Saiyajin strength. Just when it was going to make contact, its teeth about to pierce flesh, it flashed ice blue and dove right through her body. It felt as if an icy gust of wind seemed to go straight through her skin and freeze the very core of her. Right before her body seized again, and her vision started to go black, she winced in pain as her forehead seemed to blaze with power.

* * *

Vegeta stalked through the hospital, following Usagi's flickering ki towards the Emergency room, refusing to think about wasted time and the strange twisting in his chest. He was the prince of all Saiyajins and no brat was going to defy his will and die without his permission.

"Sir, you can't go in – "

Vegeta glared the security guard into silence and stormed pass him and all of the anxiously waiting families, ignoring the tears of the weak and the sharp smell of the hospital. The ER was in a frenzy, doctors and orderlies, nurses and patients seemed to be rushing from room to room with all manor of medicinal paraphernalia that he couldn't even begin to identify. He barged through it all and headed for the room at the end of the hall, where he saw nothing but a circle of doctors in white coats and spearmint green scrubs surrounding a bed that he knew held the petite form of a half-Saiyajin.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," some nurse was speaking to him sternly and putting a scrawny arm out to bar his path.

Vegeta ignored him completely, but gasped when one of the doctors shuffled slightly to the side and revealed the pale body slumped on operating table. Her mass of blond hair spilled over the edge and trailed on the floor, occasionally tripping one of the nurses.

"We're losing her, we're losing her!" one of the nurses who was monitoring a frantically beeping machine broke through Vegeta's horrified reverie.

One of the doctors glanced up for a brief moment, before throwing away what was in his hands and grabbing her. "Oh no you don't!" He folded his hands and started pumping on her chest, occasionally stopping to breathe through her mouth.

The minutes passed.

Vegeta watched on in silence when he finally noticed that a flickering blue symbol on her forehead that somehow went unnoticed in the tenseness of the situation. '_A planetary symbol?'_

"She's not warm enough. We need more electric blankets!"

Vegeta jerked away from the door and stared at Usagi's blue-tinged face in surprise. "Hypothermia?" He thought about his own planetary symbol and the planet Vegeta's power that passed to him the moment of his father's death at the hands of Freiza, remembered the never ending well of Rage and Wrath that existed at the core of all members of his race fueling their power and their very natures. And he remembered the burning heat that coursed through his veins.

Vegeta closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, ignoring the roomful of humans so that he could reach deep inside himself to tap into the inferno laying just below the surface. He smiled darkly. Here was the source of the Super Saiyajin's power, here lay every Saiyajin's ultimate potential. He spread his fingers and watched as a deep red glow slowly crept around him.

"Let me try."

The human doctors had stopped their ministrations to watch the calling of power, and now moved aside as this strange man stepped up to the table. "Brat, don't you even think about heading into the Next Dimension, not after we went to so much trouble dragging you back."

He gently placed his glowing hands on her chest and forehead, hissing in pain when the glowing symbol started to steam from the contact. He thought about the past month and how quiet it seemed because Trunks couldn't find it in himself to play and have fun. When Goten would come over, they would often sit together, each trapped in their own thoughts. His only son still blamed him for knocking him unconscious the day that Usagi left and had barely spoken a handful of words to him the entire month. It seemed no matter what his wishes, these two half-Saiyajin brats were always going to be critically dependent on each other. He had no choice but to help her if he wanted to help his son.

He drew upon his own rage, thinking of the day that his father was murdered and his planet was annihilated. He thought about his futile attempts of killing Freiza, the helplessness and the rage when he finally admitted to himself that a third class soldier was faster and stronger. He thought about Cell and his attack against the future form of his son. Smiling, he let the rage sweep through him and comfort him like an old lover, and he let that rush of power and warmth flow into the frozen body of the last female of his race.

"I don't understand it, but its working!" one of the nurses cried in awe and excitement.

Usagi jerked awake with a gasp, and stared with wide eyes at the man that she regarded as her father and her protector. "Veggie?" she mouthed soundlessly, tears starting to leak down her temples as she started to shiver.

Vegeta wordlessly pulled her up and into his lap, letting the Rage and Wrath of their race wash over and cleanse both of them. She wrapped her quaking arms around his neck and held on as her body slowly, painfully warmed and violently reawakened with bone-piercing stings and twisting muscle cramps. She could literally feel the heated blood pulsing through her veins, warming her body from the inside out. Vegeta frowned fiercely because he was helpless to stop her pain, and so simply provided a rock for her to lean upon. He glanced over her shoulder and for the first time noticed a normally dressed couple huddling together in the back of the room. They were both staring in shock, not comprehending the situation, having never witnessed magical otherworldly power before. Vegeta sneered as he examined them from afar and found them lacking.

He looked down at the strange girl in his arms and felt uncertain. He shouldn't care about what happens to this brat of his arch rival, yet he did. She was decreed the goddess Taresa – he personally chalked it up to his race's desperation for some faith, some divine help. Regardless, she was the last Saiyajin female, and she was most likely the future mate of his son. He had to help, but he wasn't sure how, not knowing what to do or who to speak with. He was unfamiliar with the customs of this planet and it's people, and so he always let his mate directly interact with them. He wasn't sure if his mate would want to help, sometimes he knew she preferred to ignore the unpleasant things in life so as to be able to concentrate on the pleasures of the present.

Vegeta looked back up to the couple and snarled. "Are you the unworthy, pathetic little humans with temporary guardianship of this brat?"

Irene studied the man that saved the life of the girl that she had grown to love. It wasn't the rage in his eyes or the commanding presence that radiated from his every pore that caused her to look at him with new light. It was the two arms clinging to his neck with trust and love that helped her overcome her fear. After this episode, she knew that there was no way that they could take care of this child – she had too many emotional problems and apparently magical abilities. She remembered the helplessness swamping her as she watched the doctors working tirelessly, and how easy it appeared for this gruff stranger to waltz in a save a life.

Ignoring the restraining hand of her husband who undoubtedly feared for her safety, Irene stepped forward. "We wanted to adopt her. The State allowed her to live with us for a 30 day trial period and see if we would be compatible and learn to care for each other, but she's too much for us right now – emotionally and physically." Ken gripped her shoulder in support, knowing that she had finally made her decision and how heartbreaking she was going to be after this. "I'm sorry, Usagi," she spoke directly to the girl that lay curled up in the warrior's lap, "but I don't think that we can be your new parents."

Usagi tightened her hold on Vegeta, amazed that the emotional pain could hurt so much more than the physical. She buried her head in his neck and attempted to hide from the world and from her pain. "I don't want to go back to that place. Don't make me go, please," she whispered against his neck.

Vegeta tightened his hold. "Don't worry brat. I'm going to take care of you now," he whispered back. He stood up from the table and directed his glare to the medical staff loitering around. "Remove these cords and machines from her," he demanded, his tone just daring them to refuse.

The doctor that performed CPR bravely stepped forward. "You can't take her from the hospital. She'll need to be tested at the very least and then have time to recover with round-the-clock monitoring."

Vegeta lifted an eyebrow. "She's fine." He smirked. "Now, I dare you to call me a liar."

Silence reigned for a long moment, before one nurse nervously moved toward the couple and started removing the IVs and electric blankets strapped to Usagi's limbs.

Vegeta then turned to the couple. "Take me to that social service lady."

It was a miracle how fast money, connections, and intimidation could get paper work signed and processed. As dawn was breaking across the horizon, Vegeta landed at the doors of his home with a slumbering child in his arms. A child who he now held joint guardianship over. There was also a restraining order out on Chichi to keep her from ever setting foot anywhere near her biological daughter again. Vegeta frowned and thought about how unexpectedly circumstances changed. When he first came to Earth, battled the last of his race, he never would have expected one day being mated with a brat of his own, much less raising his arch rival's as well.

Life was going to change here too. Vegeta frowned, thinking about the problems ahead. He shrugged when he realized that it would just mean more time for him in the Gravity Room, so that he can meticulously prepare himself for the trials ahead. His mate stood from the couch right when he walked in the door. She took one look at the slumbering child, and her heart melted all over again. '_Poor thing. She's probably all tuckered out from the hospital and everything changing so drastically these past few months.'_

Bulma whispered so as not to disturb the new addition to their family. "I've already prepared a room in the Infirmary here."

Vegeta shook his head. "There's no need, the brat's fine."

He walked right passed her and up the stairs. Bulma followed with a confused look on her face. She smiled when she noticed him shifting Usagi in his arms while trying to open Trunks' door. Bulma watched with her shoulder propped against the door as the warrior she had fallen in love with many years ago, used more gentleness than she would have accredited him with to tuck in the daughter of his rival with his only son. Vegeta stepped back and stared down at the two slumbering children, noticing that their tails were already entwined.

Bulma stared down at them and remembered why she agreed to this sudden change in her life. Normally, she would have put up a hell of a fight with her husband because he made such a huge decision without consulting her first, but she knew that she needed to atone for her earlier actions. Providing a home, a safe haven, and a stable environment was the least that she could do for the best friend of her son, a girl she in part helped to raise. She always wanted another girl around the house, she thought happily. Now maybe they could balance out the overabundance of testosterone.

"Happy Birthday, Brat." Vegeta turned out the lights and slowly closed the door.

* * *

AN: Letting everyone know, I did some research for this chapter. Hypothermia really has those symptoms, and when adopting a child, some states and programs will let you have a 30 day trial period. The only two parts of this that are completely unrealistic would be the timing – I think that social workers in general and State organizations as a rule are, sadly, working overtime with the amount of cases that they have. There would probably be no way that a child could enter and leave the system in the space of a month and a half. As for Vegeta simple adopting her in a night – that timing is probably unrealistic as well, but he's got the money and the intimidation to work miracles, so I'll let that one pass.

Every thank Aleric the review that sparked this chapter. I had a general idea of what I wanted to do, but wasn't sure in what form it should take. As you can see, she attempted to enter into the SM plot line, but that didn't work. Everything will be explained in a future chapter. For the record, she just received Mercury's powers. So, as you can see, she hasn't completely left the SM plot. In the coming chapters you'll see more of an influence.

Another reviewer asked why Chichi wasn't up on charges and in jail. The answer to that would be, 1. she's got powerful friends with a lot of money (Bulma). 2. she's the wife of the man who has saved the world countless times and 3. Goku and family would have a hard time surviving without her. She's also a good mother to her other kids, just not Usagi.


	20. Part 2: Unexpected Visitor

**Part 2:**

**Chapter 19**

Usagi rested her head against the padded wall of the gravity room, closed her eyes, and thought back on the past five years with a smile. Ever since she was jarred awake by the bone-crushing hug of her best friend that morning of his eighth birthday, her life seemed to do nothing but improve. Now, after the years of therapy, she learned to cope with her mother's abuse, and has finally moved on to enjoy the stability of Capsule Corp. She would never completely retain a normal life; she would still have trust issues and emotional trauma, but she was as normal as she could hope to be at this stage in her life. Bulma wasn't overly strict unless it came to matters of work and safety – pity the soul who was dumb enough to interrupt her during a board meeting. Vegeta always kept things lively with his arrogant demands and schemes against his wife.

The only real problem she was encountering now was her best friend. Usagi frowned thinking of Trunks. He had been acting so strange towards her recently. Instead of her smiling friend, he almost perpetually wore a frown if she wasn't always by his side or giving him her undivided attention. Demands fell from his lips more often than anything else and most of the day he normally disappeared with Goten to spar in the valley outside of the city. Every once in a while she would tag along with her brother and best friend on an adventure, but Trunks would constantly watch her to the point that she normally declined to go. Usagi sighed, '_I wish he would talk to me and tell me what's bothering him.'_

She remembered her talk with Bulma a few days ago.

_"You're asking me about how a 13 year old boy thinks?" Bulma laughed airily. "I haven't the faintest. When I was his age I was fiddling with my father's equipment and building my first aircar." She looked down at the girl's anxious face and sighed. "Look, if this is really bothering you, go talk to Vegeta. I'm sure he was probably out blowing up planets or something at that age, but he might know. If that doesn't work, maybe you should try talking to Trunks again."_

_Usagi sighed and pursed her lips in thought. "Thanks, Bulma. I'll think about it."_

So, here she was days later, lounging with her back to the Gravity Room wall, effortlessly tracking a sparring Vegeta with her eyes, like she had done countless times before, trying to work up the courage to ask him. He refused to let her install a chair or something even though she had already claimed her spot. Usagi rolled her eyes. He kept insisting that the Gravity Room was his space, and that she wasn't worthy enough to change it.

His technique was flawless as he spun and dodged with more grace than any dancer could ever hope to attain. She smiled to herself and relaxed underneath the familiar weight of the enhanced gravity, letting her mind wander over the past few years. She couldn't have asked for a better home than her best friend's and a better guardian than the man flying above her.

Usagi shook herself from her thoughts and glanced at the clock on the computer consul. Vegeta had but a few more minutes before he would probably take a break and they could talk. She was especially excited because he was going to finish telling her the history of one of the Saiyajin's rivals – the Zui – who were also a civilization of mercenaries. Vegeta scoffed when he spoke of them. "They don't give the planets a chance. They'd just show up when the planet is at its weakest, eliminate whatever stragglers are left, and then prepare it for sale. Bunch of weak cowards," he growled and blasted at a random droid. Usagi smiled. No wonder he took her and Trunks out of public school; he left even the best history teacher in the dust. Forget Global Studies, she was learning Interplanetary Relations and System Policy. Some days Goku would spar with Vegeta and inadvertently end up getting a lesson too.

Usagi cracked open her eyes to watch as he fazed out to catch his own ki blast. '_Could she really ask him? There's only one way to find out.'_ "Um, Veggie?" she winced as his old nickname slipped out. That only really happened when she was stressed or worried about something. The therapist said it was due to "emotional holdover".

The Saiyajin grunted but continued what he was doing.

Usagi sighed, "I need some advice."

Vegeta fazed out and caught his most powerful attack with his bare hands and slid back until his heels touched the room's wall. The muscles in his arms bulged with the effort to keep the power contained. "Go talk to the woman," he snapped out through gritted teeth as the ball of energy slowly reduced in size until he absorbed it completely through his palms.

"I already tried. She told me to come talk to you."

Vegeta started grumbling to himself. With a great sigh he dropped down to the ground and walked to the fridge for some water.

"It's about Trunks."

Vegeta paused with the bottle halfway to his lips. "What about the brat?"

Usagi took a deep breath before pouring out her frustrations. "Well, he's been acting so strange lately. Everything was great until a few weeks ago and now all he does is train with Goten all day. When he comes in for the night he just orders me around about every little thing and won't let me leave his side. Sometimes I have to ask him to let me go just so that I can go to the bathroom!" Her voice rose in agitation. "More often than not, he'll drag me to his room to sleep or will follow me to mine. I just don't know what's wrong with him! I've tried to ask him about it, but he just gets angry and flies off to train."

Vegeta frowned in thought. "I thought you two normally shared a bed."

Usagi fidgeted. "We did every night when I first came here, but when I got my own room it was less and less. Now we only really do that if I have a bad dream or when I can't stand to be alone." She hated admitting any weaknesses but knew she needed to be forthcoming now if she wanted his honest opinion.

Vegeta finished off his water as he thought back to his own fledgling teenage years that were consumed with the rage burning in his blood and the power that wanted to crawl out at the slightest trigger of emotion. He frowned when he thought of how emotional his son could be, especially towards this half-Saiyajin girl.

Usagi waited patiently as he thought out the problem, but nearly jumped out of her skin when his head snapped around to face her. "Brat, stand up."

She scrambled to her feet and stood awkwardly.

Vegeta frowned as he looked her over. "Move into the sunlight."

If she thought the demand was strange, Usagi didn't show it. She learned long ago that the Saiyajin prince kept his thoughts to himself and the best way to guess what he was thinking was to play along. Usagi looked around at the patches of light that poured in from the small windows that lined the top of the gravity room. She slowly moved into the nearest square of light and smiled contently when the warmth seeped into her. She didn't know why, but light always seemed to calm her. Moonlight was best, but sunlight was just as soothing.

Vegeta looked over the girl child. The sun reflected off her hair, making it seem to glow and the happiness seemed to radiate from her face. Suddenly, he had a sneaking suspicion about his son's behavior. '_Could it be? This early?'_ Before he could find a way to tell her that his son was attempting to establish his dominance over her in order to keep her charms to himself and her attention centered solely on him, without scaring her into fighting against he inevitable, the computer consul beeped signaling some idiot had rung the doorbell. They both paused and stared at each other expectantly.

Vegeta gave her a pointed look, "You going to get that, brat?"

Usagi frowned in annoyance at the interruption. "Ugh, I guess I am now."

She climbed to her feet and after a brief sulk, she ran to the front of the house, hoping that it was just a salesman who she could get rid of quickly. However, she was fairly certain that it wouldn't be because the last one who had the grave misfortune of interrupting the Saiyajin prince during his training was probably going to need counseling for the rest of his life. Apparently word got around because this past month they weren't having nearly as many visitors.

"Can I help you?" Usagi asked as she opened the door, glancing briefly at the young man. She stopped, her eyes widened, as she stared in shock. "T-Trunks? Oh, Kami, what happened to you? You're big!"

His hair was a little longer and he was wearing different clothing than what she saw him in earlier that day, but it was definitely Trunks. She would recognize those ice blue eyes anywhere; even if they were currently staring at her blankly. Clearly he was shocked that she was the first one to greet him. Something wasn't right. He knew that she always opened the door if she and Vegeta were the only ones home. What's more, Trunks had never looked at her as if she meant nothing to him; even during their worst fights there was still some kind of connection between them that kept them in tune with each other's innermost thoughts. This lack of empathy scared her more than his aged appearance.

Panic nibbled at her gut as Usagi reached for his hand and dragged him to the couch. "Just sit down and I'm sure that we can fix whatever happened." She tried to sound calm even though inside she suddenly felt frantic. Was she losing her best friend?

Trunks stared at her in amused confusion but sat obediently. "Um, who are you?" he asked politely.

Usagi's eyes widened until they seemed to swallow up her face. Her vision suddenly swam and she felt like she was going to pass out. "You lost your memory too?!" This couldn't be happening. She remembered her adamant denials about spending time with him and Goten these past few weeks. Trunks staring at her and being more demanding than usual suddenly seemed like a petty and insignificant concern. What if these were the last few days she had to spend with him before he turned into this older, colder stranger? '_No! I'm not going to lose him!'_ "Just – Just sit here and I'll go get Veggie. He'll know what to do." Before he could stop her, she turned on her heel and ran as fast as her half-Saiyajin self would let her.

* * *

Vegeta's fists blurred in the air as punch after punch dented the sparring droid, until there was nothing left of its mechanical face, and his knuckles were bloody with the effort. He spun around preparing to finish it off when he was tackled from behind. "What the hell, brat?!" He was about to pry her away from him when he noticed that she was shaking and nearly out of her mind with hysteria.

"What happened?"

"Veggie, you've got to come. I-It's Trunks! I don't know what happened, but – but --"

Vegeta clamped down on the bloody images that immediately came to mind and kept repeating to himself, '_Sensu beans can cure everything. Whatever happened, we can fix it.'_ He kept a firm hold on Usagi, sensing that she needed the closeness and comfort, before briskly making his way to the other side of the house. He refused to hurry because that would show just how worried he suddenly felt. Usagi, especially after living with the Saiyajins for months, didn't get this upset over a little blood and gore, just the violence that caused it, so something truly terrible must have happened.

His heart racing, he rounded the corner of the living room and stopped dead in his tracks, not believing his eyes.

Usagi hid her face in the small of his back. "See? He's big!"

Vegeta ignored her. "Mirai? What are you doing here, brat?"

Mirai Trunks slowly stood from the couch and smiled, "Father."

* * *

(that's a great place to end a chapter, but y'all have been so patient that I'll continue, so enjoy!)

* * *

"So, what am I like in the future?" Usagi asked innocently, sitting cross-legged on the couch and studying the future form of her best friend with interest. Vegeta had already explained all about the enemy, Cell, who had attacked Earth over a decade ago, when Chichi was still pregnant with her, and how this Trunks showed up to help fight and save Goku's life.

Mirai studied the only female Saiyajin he had ever met with equal amount of interest. There was something about her that just pulled at him, as if they were supposed to have some deep connection that didn't quite have the opportunity to mature. He smiled and silently shook his head. "You don't exist in my future."

"What? That's not fair! Why not?" Usagi frowned at him as if it were all his fault.

Mirai blushed a little, hoping that he really didn't have to go into much detail. Especially after her earlier comment when he and his father were trying to convince her that he really was Mirai Trunks, where she magnanimously proclaimed, "There is no way that Trunks is going to end up being that cute!" While his father chuckled under his breath, Mirai remembered blushing horribly – secretly amazed that he could still blush after everything that had happened to him in his short life.

He cleared his throat and attempted to focus. "Well, Goku died before you had the opportunity to be born." He silently prayed that she wouldn't ask for anything more specific. She was too young and he really didn't want to speculate on the sex life of the woman whom he regarded as a second mom.

Usagi stared at him for a long moment and let her mind play through his life. If he didn't have her or Goten to play with, then who kept him from being lonely? "So, who's your best friend, then?"

Mirai seemed to stiffen, before finally admitting under the pressure of the soulful blue eyes boring into him, "Gohan was my best friend before he --"

"Gohan?!" she interrupted with an incredulous shout. "Wow, I never would have guessed that." She reflected on how much her Trunks still resented her older brother's cowardice and neglect in her childhood. She paused and looked at him with kind eyes, just catching the fact that he said 'was'. In a more serious tone she asked, "Wait, what happened?"

Mirai looked away and stared out the window at the sunlight that bathed the freshly cut lawn in its brilliance. "He died. Look I don't want to talk about it. Okay?" Mirai stood from the couch and was about to comment on how long it was taking his father to summon the Z fighters for the meeting that would announce his return to their time line and the reason for his visit, when Usagi grabbed his hand. She wasn't intimidated in the least by his standoffish attitude.

"I think you need to talk about this." She tried to pull him back to the couch, but he didn't budge.

"No offense," Mirai said through clenched teeth, fighting the onslaught of painful memories that suddenly seemed so close to the surface. What was it about this girl anyway? What quality did she possess that made him want to spill his deepest thoughts and fears? "But how would a little girl," he mercilessly ignored her wince and continued, "who has a family here and a world that still has people and cities and..." he trailed off, shaking away the mental images of his barren and desolate world before they could overwhelm him, "possibly understand my situation and how I feel?"

Usagi looked at him for a long moment. "I can't," she admitted in a whisper, knowing that anything stronger would cause him to storm out of the room. There was a slight pause as she gathered her thoughts.

She smiled mirthlessly. "It seems you Trunks, in whatever life, past or future, have to lose a best friend. I died." Mirai turned and looked at her in surprise. "No, I may not know what it means to lose a best friend because they sacrificed themselves for me, but I know how it feels to be the best friend who does the sacrificing. I know how your Gohan must have felt when he gave his life for yours, and he must have or you wouldn't be feeling this guilty years later."

Mirai flinched and turned away. Her eyes were seeing too much. Was he really that easy to read? He waited a long moment, unconsciously clutching her small hand for support. "I was stupid," he bit out between clinched teeth, letting the guilt bubble up inside until he felt like he would burst from the pressure. "I thought that I could take care of the Androids all by myself, but I wasn't ready, wasn't nearly ready." He breathed a laugh and shook his head in self-disgust, "It was my own arrogance and pride that caused me to be so impatient. Kami, if I had just waited another year, he might still be alive."

Mirai blinked back the tears that inevitably welled up at that particular memory, the memory of his ascension to Super Saiyajin. After the years of determination and training, it was the rage and desperation that finally pushed him over the edge and allowed him to tap into the hidden potential of his heritage. But it was nothing compared to the loss of his best friend and mentor. Mirai knew that he would eagerly sacrifice it all just to turn back time, maybe that's why he traveled through time so much – he was fruitlessly seeking a way to atone for his idiocy and pride.

He took a long, shuddering breath before looking down at their linked hands and smiling softly into her eyes. "Why am I telling you all of this?"

Usagi smiled back, sensing his need for a lighter topic of conversation, and was about to answer when the front door burst open and Trunks and Goten stumbled in laughing uproariously.

Trunks causally glanced up after elbowing his friend in the head, and immediately lost his victorious smile. He looked from his best friend to this stranger and glared at their intertwined hands. "What the hell are you two doing?!" In a flash, Trunks leaped across the room and dragged Usagi away from the startled stranger, breaking their interlocked hands.

Usagi glared at Trunks and beat him on the shoulder until her fist hurt. "I don't believe you, Trunks! I'm trying to be nice and then you show up acting like an ass. "

The young man raised an eyebrow at the blatant aggression and challenge screaming from his younger self's every movement. If glares could kill...

Trunks didn't take his glare off Mirai as he addressed the squirming girl. "Just because you were being nice didn't mean you had to touch him," he growled out. "Who is he anyway that you would want to hold hands? We don't know him."

Usagi rolled her eyes, but her thoughts were interrupted before she could think of an appropriately sarcastic comment. "I don't know, Trunks," came a quiet and confused voice near the door. The three of them turned to regard a hitherto forgotten Goten. "He kind of looks like you."

Trunks jerked in shock, momentarily losing his glare, instinctively knowing that it was true. No one else had lavender hair and blue eyes with such a strong power that clearly stated he was of Saiyajin descent. There was no denying that he was in fact staring at his future form.

Even from behind, Usagi sensed how surprised and lost he suddenly felt. It wasn't everyday that you met your future self in your living room. She closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that their connection remained intact before slipping her arms around him and propping her chin on one of his shoulders. Her Trunks, her best friend, was still here. '_Thank Kami.' _Something told her that she wasn't going to be getting over this shock for a good long while.

"It's true. Your dad called him Mirai because he's the same guy who came and helped to fight Cell when you were a baby." She rambled on letting her soft chatter give him time to cope, "And you know what's really strange?" She absently tucked a stray piece of hair behind his ear, "He doesn't have me or Goten in the future with him – apparently we missed our chance to be born because Goku died."

Mirai quirked an eyebrow when he heard her mention her father's given name. '_Why would she call her father by his first name?'_

"So, guess who your best friend is?" Usagi continued, oblivious to the young man's thoughts. "Gohan! Can you believe that?" There was silence for a long while as everyone in the room slowly gathered their thoughts.

Mirai looked across the couch and tried to ignore the strange feeling in the pit of his stomach that seemed to churn tighter the longer he looked at his younger version stiffly lounging against Usagi. He watched silently as their tails wrapped around each other's waist in an unconscious show of unity and support. Even as he stared, the younger version raised a hand and lightly stroked one of the pale arms wrapped so tightly around him. Mirai's gaze flicked up and locked with the slightly mocking ones of other self. He felt annoyed at getting caught staring.

"What?! I'm not in the future?" Goten suddenly burst out, breaking the tense moment. He scratched his head. "Bummer. Well, Trunks you can have all of my toys and I'll even let you take my video games – but don't break them!"

Mirai stared at the young boy in shock as he continued to divvy up his possessions between his family and friends. Reluctantly, a smile started tug at his lips as the half Saiyajin rattled off his last will and testament. What a strange boy.

"Goten, you're such a goofball. You're not going to die! Mirai is from an alternate future," Usagi interrupted his tirade with an exasperated voice.

Goten paused in thought and regarded Mirai with suspicion. "So, I can keep my video games?"

Trunks smirked and crossed his arms, "I don't know why you would even want to anyway, you suck at playing."

"I do not! Take it back, Trunks!"

Usagi tightened her arms around him in warning, but Trunks blithely ignored her. "Make me," he challenged.

Before a friendly scuffle could break out, a call froze everyone in their steps. It was the only word that could immediately immobilize any Saiyajin. "COOKIES!" apparently Bulma had finished with work early and headed straight towards the kitchen.

Goten raced out of the room without so much of a backward glance. Usagi hesitated when she noticed that Trunks wasn't going to follow. "Aren't you two coming?" she looked towards the two Trunkses with confusion. Never had she seen a Saiyajin turn down food.

"Go on ahead," Trunks commanded without taking his eyes off of his future self. "And make sure that Goten doesn't eat all of them before we get there."

Usagi stiffened at the order, but slowly relaxed when he said 'we'. Hopefully that meant he was looking out for Mirai's stomach as well. "Okay, but you might want to hurry 'cause I don't know how long I can hold Goten off."

"You wanted to talk?" Mirai crossed his arms and waited, ignoring his complaining stomach that desperately wanted to devour the gooey cookies in the next room.

Trunks just shook his head and signaled for him to wait. Right when he sensed Usagi was out of earshot, he started. "I understand that you've had a sucky life so far -"

Mirai cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" he commented sarcastically. "And how would you have figured that one out?"

Trunks tilted his head but didn't rise to the bait. Instead he answered simply and from his heart. "Because you don't have Usa or Goten," he watched as his other self's eyes clouded in confusion. "I don't think I would have much of a life without the two of them – I don't care how good of a _friend_ you think Gohan is."

Mirai tensed in suspicion when his younger self sneered at Gohan's name. Was this Gohan that much different than the one he grew up with? What could possibly inspire such blatant dislike?

"Since you don't have them, I'll cut you some slack. I'm going to let you stay and hang out with us."

Mirai sneered, "I wasn't aware that I had to have your permission."

Trunks smiled mirthlessly and let the inner rage churning inside him briefly reflect in his eyes, "Oh, but you do. If I didn't want you here, then you wouldn't be here."

Mirai shifted as a sudden chill raced up his spine. There was something about this boy that irked him and set him on the defensive. "You're pretty cocky for a kid."

Trunks' eyes were ice cold as he regarded his future self. "Maybe I'll let you spar with me and Goten and you can see that I have reason to be confident. I bet I have more reason than you do. So don't push me."

Mirai's eyes lighted with interest at a good challenge. There wasn't anyone left in his world who could rival him in strength, so he was sorely missing a good spar. Trunks noted the sudden interest and relaxed his stance. In that moment they truly accepted each other as one and the same as they felt their Saiyajin warrior blood race in sync at the thought of battle.

"Come on, Mom's got cookies." Trunks turned his back and made his way from the room. "Oh, and Mirai?" He called over his shoulder. "Don't touch Usagi."

Mirai raised an eyebrow and decided to test the waters. "And if I do?" He had no intention of touching a girl so young – despite of the connection he felt between them, but was curious to see if his younger self was as possessive as he thought.

They stopped in the hallway and locked eyes. While the older boy's eyes were hardened with the visions of a brutal past and hard lessons, the younger set of eyes glinted with a promise of violence and pain to anyone who stood in his way. Mirai felt goosebumps prickle at his flesh as he watched the ice blue eyes slowly turn black with a glinting promise of wrath. Trunks smirked, and Mirai couldn't help but shudder, "Then I'll beat you bloody. I don't care how crappy your life was before this; you won't get an ounce of mercy from me."

Mirai stood alone in the hallway staring after his younger self while valiantly trying to convince himself that it was a trick of the light that turned those blue eyes into those of a devil.

* * *

**AN:** Okay, as all of you have no doubt noticed, this is Part 2. I've outlined the rest of the story and have divided into 3 parts – so the story is roughly 1/3rdfinished! The first part is when Trunks and Usa against an outside force (aka Chichi), the second part is them against each other, and the third part is them against themselves (internal conflict). Hopefully that will clear up any confusion that this chapter brought. Other people were wondering about the powers. If you hadn't noticed they are triggered by emotion: fire – anger, lightning – fear, ice – loneliness. The others will come later.

If you have concerns about how Usagi appears to have completely overcome her traumatized past and abuse, don't worry that will all resurface in the next few chapters. Right now she just thinks she's gotten over everything.

**Jacque Nicole**, **Momma Lici**, and everyone else!: A few reviewers commented on how the past two chapters were good but not great. Please tell me how and why. I need your opinions and specific comments for me to grow as an author and possibly change something that everyone didn't like!

**Ashes** and **Koldy**: No, just because they share the same guardian and live in the same house doesn't mean that they are truly brother and sister in the eyes of the law. The law only limits marriage when it comes to a close blood connection, something that Trunks and Usagi both lack. If you read closely in this chapter and the last one then you'll see where I said that Vegeta and Bulma were her guardians – I did not say parents.

**Aleric**: As always I love your comments and speculations.

**Damia**: I'm glad that I'm portraying Usagi's emotional trauma accurately. I was worried that I was overdoing it a little or missing something important, so thanks for your comments! They let me know that I'm on track!

**MoonBunny777**: I'm a little confused about your comment. I think that every writer should strive to be realistic. What would you see me do differently?

**Trapped in Icy Flame**: Getting the Mars and Jupiter powers hurt her as well. During the restaurant chapter, you'll remember that her body was smoking afterward. Right before she died it said that her eardrums had ruptured and she was bleeding, charred flesh or something like that. I don't think that would be particularly painless – that's how the dragon killed her after all.

**The Night Air**: Good comment about Saturn's powers. I've already got an idea on how she's going to get the outer's powers, but your comment might have helped solidify some ideas. Thanks!

I've started another story. It's loosely titled **Completion** – check it out! Don't worry, it's not going anywhere anytime soon because I haven't even really sat down and thought of a good plot line. I don't even have a definite title yet. It's just something that wouldn't leave me alone, and I put it out there to let y'all know that I wasn't dead. **Jay FicLover **'ll take you up on your offer to brainstorm ideas for this new fic. I can't wait to get started! Email me at ｨC it's the same address for reviews, and I'll email you what I've concocted so far.

Until next time. Please review!


	21. The Scout

AN: Hey everyone! Here's the chapter (and it's actually in a timely manner, imagine that! So no complaints about the lag time between updates! :-P). Some of you complained about the chapter length - well this one is almost double the last chapter, so be happy! I actually wrote the last 10 pages this afternoon, I'm on a roll! I was in a strange mood, so a lot of Vegeta's dialogue is a little odd - this is your warning! Anyway, happy readings!

**Chapter 20**

"Woman, when are Kakarot and his idiot friends coming? I don't have time to wait on their slow asses," Vegeta barked out as he stalked into the living room with a permanent scowl etched across his face.

Bulma sighed, "They should be here any moment. You know I told everyone to wait so that we could have a nice family dinner before everyone got caught up with serious talk. If I know all of you, then you'll blast off to go fight some aliens bent on taking over Earth and then I wouldn't be able to spend any time with Mirai."

Vegeta humphed. "Who cares about your sentimental little female desires? I could be training right now!"

"No! Usa, don't -! Oh, no you don't! Go, go, GO!" Goten's sputtering bellow interrupted Bulma's violent thoughts of retaliation. The two half-Saiyajin siblings were viciously mashing the buttons of the remote controls and staring with rapt attention at the television as they watched their virtual sports aircars race towards the finish line.

"Ha! Beat that!" Usagi crowed in victory as Goten collapsed on the couch with an over exaggerated groan. She did a little victory dance. "You two are slower than me even it the virtual world! Who's the fastest, huh? Me!"

Goten frowned, "Oh really?" Without warning, he launched himself from the couch and tackled her to the floor. She shrieked when he started tickling her mercilessly.

"T-Trunks!" she gasped out in a panic. "Help me!"

Trunks crossed his arms with a little smirk. "What makes you think I'm going to help you? If I remember correctly, you beat me too. I think you deserve a little punishment."

"Please!" She dissolved into another round of spastic giggles.

Trunks grinned. "Not until you admit that I'm the Supreme Ruler of the Universe."

Mirai watched the drama unfold with no small amount of amusement. The whole atmosphere of the living room was filled to brimming with so many different emotions that it seemed to breathe with life. His mother was bickering and attempting to do bodily harm to his father, while his father literally exuded arrogance and amusement at her puny attempts; but what really kept his attention were the children battling it out with the video games. Goten's innocent indignation over the slightest little problem along with his younger self's playful arrogance and deep-seated contentment perfectly matched Usagi's happiness which seemed to constantly bubble over and spread throughout the room. All three of them were well suited to be close friends.

Mirai frowned when he realized that he didn't have such carefully matched chemistry with anyone back at home. Even Gohan, when he was alive, wasn't constantly a friend. Some days he was a demanding teacher, a distant fighter, or even a stern older brother figure before he was ever a friend. Perhaps this Trunks' opinion held some truth; maybe he was missing out on a fuller life without Goten or Usagi.

Before he could contemplate further, Usagi shrieked loud enough to wake the dead while trying to squirm her way from under her younger brother.

"Mirai! Help!" Usagi implored after her Trunks refused to save her.

Mirai looked stunned. He hadn't expected to be included in their friendly fights.

Trunks growled. "What the hell are you asking him for? This isn't his fight!"

Mirai tensed and seriously thought about rescuing his new friend, but his younger self was right. It wasn't his place to interfere; this wasn't his time and these weren't his friends. The opportunity for all of this – he glanced around at his fuming mother, his smirking father, and the brawling siblings on the floor in front of the television – this sense of family and belonging had already passed him by. With a quick shake of his head and a sad smile, Mirai declined Usagi's plea.

"Fine!" despite her pride, her ribs couldn't hold out any longer. She turned back to her Trunks, now her only savior. "You're the Supreme Ruler, alright? Just help me!"

With a little grin, Trunks leaned down, grabbed Goten's leg, and yanked. Hard. Goten jerked back in surprise but kicked out with his other leg and rolled to his feet and into a defensive stance more out of habit than any real desire to spar. Trunks ignored him to scoop up a trembling Usagi and plopped her onto his lap. She was curled into a ball with her hands protectively covering her sides to prevent from future tickle attacks. When her trembling subsided slightly she peeked over her bent knees and defiantly stuck her tongue out at Goten, much to Mirai's amusement. Their group dynamic was fascinating.

"Hey guys, I'm not late am I?"

Usagi perked up from Trunks' lap. "Krillen!" Trunks wouldn't let her get up so she settled on waving from the couch.

"Nope, you're actually the first one here," Bulma shot her husband another glare before greeting the first of the Z fighters.

After Krillen's arrival, everyone else seemed to follow one after another until the door was simply left open for convenience. Mirai was glad to mingle with the people who only existed in his Earth's past, but he still kept a close eye on the video game drama behind him. Now Trunks and Goten were battling for second place, but Mirai's attention strayed to Trunks' tail that was lightly stroking Usagi's waist even when its owner seemed to be completely absorbed in beating Goten.

"Mirai?" Usagi had turned and propped her arms across the back of the couch. She grabbed his hand. "Gohan's about to walk in. Are you ready?" she asked in a quiet voice.

He quirked a smile as warmth spread through his heart. She cared about him even though she had just met him hours ago. He gave her hand a quick squeeze before letting go and stepping back, not wishing to incite his younger self's dark side in the middle of the reunion. "Yeah, I'll be fine. It'll be nice to see him again."

"Gohan!" Bulma's voice arched over the room's many conversations. "How are you? How is college? Are you ready to graduate yet? If you want a job, Capsule Corp. could use another genius!"

Mirai craned his head around Piccolo's turban to critically study this reality's version of his mentor and friend. He was surprised at what he found. This Gohan seemed ... softer ... somehow. He seemed to have retained a level of innocence that his Gohan lost the minute the Androids started killing off their friends. This Gohan wasn't hardened by years of desperation and loss, instead, he seemed sad. '_Why is he sad?'_ There was a lack of confidence that could be seen in the way he held himself and the way he spoke. '_Where is the natural born leader, the loving friend, and the optimistic fighter? Where is that Gohan? Could it be hiding within him?' _

"Everyone's here, so Trunks, turn off the video game. We're going to have our talk now."

"But Mooom," Trunks automatically protested while his fingers continued to move at their lightning speed.

"Brat, listen to your mother."

Trunks switched his appeals to his father. "Dad, I'm about to kick Goten's ass."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Alright, kick Kakarot's puny offspring's ass and then turn it off."

Trunks grinned, "Okay."

"OW!" Goten dropped his controller and whirled around with a whimper. "Trunks that hurt!" He massaged his rump and glared.

Trunks blinked innocently and watched with no small amount of satisfaction as Goten's character died before he turned off the TV. "What? Dad told me to." He snickered under his breath.

Bulma glared at her husband. "You know you have to be careful with the commands you give our son. He always takes them so literally."

Vegeta smirked. "I know." He and his son shared a look of complete understanding and approval while his wife stormed off in a huff mumbling "hopeless, absolutely hopeless" under her breath.

Mirai watched as the world's greatest fighters crowded together in the living room of the past version of his home. They were leaning against walls or sprawled over chairs, some were even sitting on the floor with their backs propped against tables; and they were all looking at him expectantly, waiting for some kind of explanation. Mirai suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

It was funny really. The past few days he had solely concentrated on getting to the past, and then he was so shocked at Usagi and Goten's sudden appearance (not to mention his past self's hostile attitude) that he hadn't really given a thought to what he would say at this meeting.

"Mirai, sit over here!" Usagi's cheerful voice brought his anxiety to a sudden halt. "We have room." She pointed to an empty spot on the couch.

"No, we don't," Trunks interrupted, and shot him a glare that could melt steel.

Usagi was too busy waving at him to catch her best friend's hostility. "Sure we do, Trunks. Stop being such a grouch."

Mirai suddenly felt like laughing. This young girl just demoted that piercing glare to "grouchy" behavior. As he made his way around the couch he shot an inquiring glance at Goku and Gohan, surprised that they hadn't taken a seat next to their other two family members. Something just wasn't right about their whole situation.

Mirai happily plopped down next to Usagi and pretended not to notice Trunks wrapping his tail securely around her waist and pulling her away from him. Usagi retaliated by slipping her small hand into his and ignoring Trunks altogether. At the touch of her hand, Mirai felt all anxiety drain from his mind.

"I'm sure you can all guess why I'm here," he began.

Piccolo rolled his eyes. "A new enemy?"

When Mirai nodded, Goku leaped into the air and screamed, "Yes!" Everyone turned to stare in shock. "Ah, come on guys. It's been too quiet around here for the past few years, and you all know it. We're all getting lazy and bored."

Vegeta sneered. "Lazy? Speak for yourself, Kakarot. Some of us still train every day. If you're that out of shape, don't worry, I'm sure that you can still snore the enemy to death."

Bulma stepped in between them before an argument could break out. "Shut it, both of you! Vegeta, sweetie," she purred, knowing full well that he hated when she called him pet names in front of everyone, "we all already know about your obsessive training habits, and Goku," she snapped when he started snickering, "I hardly think that this is the time for celebration – I don't care how much you Saiyajins like battle. Mirai wouldn't have come looking for help unless this was serious, so why don't you both just sit down, shut up, and let him speak!" she finished with a bellow that had the tables rattling and Piccolo clutching his ears in pain.

Silence reigned for a full minute. Krillen was attempting to hide behind Gohan, but the young Saiyajin kept pushing him away. Mirai cleared his throat awkwardly. "Uh ... thanks Mom."

She patted him on the head as she made her way back to her seat. "Don't mention it, honey."

Mirai momentarily marveled at the awesome power of her mood swings. "Right then," he continued awkwardly, "Well, a week ago I was out scouting for some salvageable materials for the rebuilding efforts, when I sensed an approaching ki heading towards Earth. I flew out to meet it and found a space pod that Mom said looked nearly identical to the one that Dad arrived in the first time he came to Earth."

Everyone tensed at this. Vegeta, in particular, stood to attention. Could Freeza be back? How was that even possible?

"I tracked the alien and observed it for a few hours before I made myself known. I think it was some kind of scout or scientist or something, because he seemed to be taking measurements and collecting data, as opposed to picking fights and blasting everything in sight," he attempted to interject some dry humor.

"When I finally decided to confront him, he seemed surprised to see me, panicked even. We fought, and he wasn't really much of a challenge; but before I blasted him to oblivion, he confessed that his employers would be coming and that they planned to exterminate what little life was left on Earth before selling the planet off to the highest bidder.

"I wasn't really worried about it, until Mom analyzed his space pod and tracked down the fleet that he was talking about. There are way too many of them for me alone to handle, even if I went Super Saiyajin. What's more, I think that the one I destroyed wasn't even a warrior – so I'm not really sure about this new enemy's actual fighting capabilities." He paused, lost in thought, before continuing, "Anyway, Mom and I thought about it for a while before we decided that the best option was to come to the past and see if you all wouldn't mind repaying the favor and traveling to the future to save my world."

There was silence as everyone attempted to assimilate the new information.

"Brat, what did the scout look like?" Vegeta's voice was less hostile as he was lost in thought, mentally scanning through the aliens he had encountered throughout the years.

Mirai frowned and thought back. "Well, he wasn't really pretty, if that's what you're asking; he was more reptilian than anything: spotted green skin, a beak-like nose, webbed fingers."

"The spots, were they yellow?"

Mirai nodded. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"Damn Sardanian." Vegeta shook his head. "You were right in thinking that it wasn't a fighter. The Sardanian race has been enslaved or 'employed'," he scoffed, "for more than four hundred years. They are renowned throughout the universe as being diligent little scientist drones who are mostly spineless. Countless races are known to take advantage of their services. Yes, the Saiyajins were one of them," he answered the unspoken question. "As was Freeza and his race of Ice-jins. We mostly used them for maintenance and repair work, but apparently this one was doing reconnaissance. How intriguing."

Usagi frowned in thought. "Yeah, I think I saw one when I was on Vegeta-sei." Everyone turned to her. "It was after Nappa beat me up pretty badly." Trunks's tail tightened around her waist. He remembered Nappa alright. Usagi's arm subconsciously covered his tail and pressed it closer to her. This wasn't a particularly pleasant memory for her either. "I was in the infirmary, and when I woke up I about died 'cause this really ugly creature was standing over me. At first I thought it was Piccolo, but then -" she stopped and blushed horribly at the implied insult. '_Oops.'_

Piccolo growled. "Cute, brat. Real cute."

Several people around the room coughed in a futile attempt to cover their snorts of laughter.

Goku was suddenly serious. "Vegeta, do you think you could identify the enemy when we get there?"

"Kakarot, are you attempting to order me around? Or are you just trying to play leader like always?"

"It was just a question, Vegeta, jeez. There's no need for you to get your royal panties in a twist."

"Panties?! How dare you, you insolent little piece of -" Vegeta lunged.

Bulma sighed from her chair, but didn't attempt to intervene this time. Goku really had it coming with that comment, and she knew that there was nothing that she could possibly say to make her husband back down. At least she could take some small comfort in that they wouldn't use ki blasts while indoors; they remembered the wrath and fury she brought on their heads the last time they conveniently forgot that little rule and promptly swore that it would never happen again.

Something told her that Goku was deliberately inciting a fight. '_Saiyajins,'_ she sighed mentally and shook her head at their hopeless attitudes. No matter how much she tried, there was no way that they would ever be truly civilized; there was just too much warrior blood ruling their every action. At least they would both feel better after a good fight.

Mirai ignored the wrestling match that splintered the coffee table and had everyone scampering out of the way. "You mean it? You'll help?"

Krillen stopped in mid-cheer. "Of course! You didn't really expect us to say 'no' did you? Come on, we're Earth's defenders. It doesn't matter what time period it is, She's still our home."

Mirai looked at everyone and felt his chest get tight. So this was what it was like to have the unconditional support of friends and family. He knew that his Mom, Gohan, and Chichi supported him in almost everything he did, but he didn't even belong in the same time line as these people and they were still willing to lay down their lives and dedicate their time and energy just to help him. He suddenly felt lost. He didn't know how to react to such selflessness.

Usagi tightened her grip on his hand and smiled up at him. "Don't worry so much." She could practically feel it coming off him in waves. '_Man, this Trunks needs to learn how to relax every once in a while.' _

"Beat his ass, Dad!" Trunks howled out between cupped hands.

Her Trunks never had a problem with having fun.

* * *

Later that night, Mirai left the kitchen table where his father sat glaring with one eye while his mother read him the riot act and held a raw steak the size of Namek pressed firmly to his face to reduce the swelling. It had been a long while since he had laughed so long and so hard. His father's face when he noticed that the meat juice was slowly trickling down to soak the front of his white shirt was priceless! '_If only Mom were here to see this!'_

He stared at the quiet hallway and thought about his waiting bed with distaste. Even though it was quite late, he didn't have the slightest desire to turn in for the night. This was his last night in the past; he didn't want to spend it sleeping! His eyes attempted to pierce the darkness that consumed the end of the hallway and felt a slight tug at his consciousness. He frowned in concentration and felt Usagi and Trunks' kis on the other side of the house. '_What's she still doing here?'_

With nothing better to do, he slowly made his way to the entertainment room and, for some reason, lowered his ki until is virtually undetectable. He didn't want his younger self to know that he was spying. '_I'm not spying,'_ his conscious rushed to justify his actions, '_I'm just curious is all. For all I know, there could be a problem or something that's keeping Usagi here after hours.'_

He mentally rolled his eyes. Right. Like his younger self would let anything happen to her. Crossing his arms, he propped himself against the corner of the door, just out of sight, and strained his Saiyajin ears.

"The past few weeks we haven't been this close without you kicking up a fuss. Why the sudden change? Not that I'm complaining or anything."

Mirai's eyes widened. Just what were those two up to anyway? After a comment like that he couldn't resist peaking around the corner to see what was happening. He was at just the right angle to see that they were both lying on the couch, Usagi's back was pressed tightly to Trunks' front while they watched TV together. '_Well,' _Mirai mentally amended, '_Usagi is watching TV.'_ It seemed that Trunks was otherwise occupied with running his hands through her hair and watching the light from the television turn it to various shades of muted gold.

Trunks' tail was wrapped around her upper leg while hers kept clasping and re-clasping around his wrist, as if it couldn't find a comfortable grip.

"I got scared today," Usagi finally admitted in a quiet voice before she tore her eyes away from the television.

Trunks immediately stilled. "What happened?" He growled out in a menacing voice. "Was it that prick Mirai? Did he do something? Was it one of the others who came by tonight?"

Usagi shook her head in denial. "No, it wasn't like that."

Trunks loosened his hold so that she could turn around until they were facing each other. "I got scared when I answered the door and thought that Mirai was you."

"How could you ever think that loser was me?" Trunks bristled with false indignation, attempting to ease the raw expression from her eyes with humor.

"How could I not? Lavender locks. Blue eyes," she trailed her fingers through his hair and lightly across his face. "It was you, and yet, it wasn't. For one moment you looked at me as though I were a stranger. You didn't care about me. You didn't even know me, and I panicked." She wrapped as much of herself around him as she could – arms, tail, and legs – and buried her face in his shoulder. "I can't lose you, Trunks. Ever. I think these past few weeks, I had forgotten that because you've been really demanding and acting like an ass. Admit it."

Trunks' lips quirked. "Maybe."

Usagi tilted her head up and stared him in the eyes. "Why? Why have you changed?"

"I don't know," he frowned in thought. "I've just had this feeling for a little while." He looked away, his cheeks flushed.

"Tell me."

"Suddenly, you weren't close enough."

Usagi frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Trunks shifted but didn't relinquish his tight grip around her. "I get angry now when I didn't before," he admitted slowly, "and the only time I'm not is when you're with me, when we're this close. I want you this close all the time," he squeezed her around the waist and gently nudged her head down until it was once again resting on his shoulder. Usagi could hear his heart beating beneath her ear as the warmth from his body spread through her limbs and made its way inside her. Her breath puffed against his neck. His hand splayed wide across her back and slowly stroked up her spine. "I don't want to share you...with anyone."

Usagi eyes unfocused in thought. She wasn't completely sure that she understood his feelings, although she could tell that they were apparently strong and embarrassed him a great deal. '_At least he's finally telling me the problem,'_ she thought with relief. He wasn't shutting her out any longer. "Share me? You're my best friend; I don't have any others, so you don't have to worry about sharing."

Trunks closed his eyes with resignation. He knew that she wouldn't understand. '_What were you expecting, anyway? That she would admit similar feelings? That she would agree to stay this close? Get real Trunks.'_

"There's Goten."

Usagi frowned. "But he's my little brother; not my best friend."

"But you spend time with him. And you spend time with Dad. Sometimes you even help Mom cook or help out when she's in the lab working."

Usagi's brow furrowed. "Yeah..." she still wasn't sure what he wanted. Did he want her to give up all of that to spend it with him?

Trunks remained silent, refusing to let the silent demand be voiced. He had a strange feeling that it would either come out as begging or ordering and either were unacceptable. He refused to appear weak in front of her and didn't want to alienate her by demanding the impossible.

"I don't think I can do what you're asking, Trunks."

Trunks gritted his teeth, fighting the sudden urge to go out and destroy something helpless.

Usagi ignored the clinched fist slowly digging into her back. "But, how about I move into your room so that we can be this close. That can be our time. You won't have to share. What do you think?"

Trunks took a few deep breaths. "I think I'd like that."

Usagi grinned, happy to have momentarily banished the darkness that had crept into his eyes these past few weeks, and quickly dismissed the serious topic. "So, what do you think of Mirai? You don't really think he's a prick. Do you?"

Mirai perked up from the other side of the room.

Trunks loosened his fists and attempted to relax. "No, he seems alright. He's just a little too uptight all the time." '_And he stares at you a little too much.'_ Trunks frowned. Now that he thought about it, Mirai seemed to watch both of them and Goten a little too closely.

Usagi closed her eyes when he started stroking her hair again. "I think he's lonely."

Mirai winced at the strikingly accurate assumption. Maybe he shouldn't stick around for this particular conversation, but his curiosity kept him rooted to the floor.

"And he's cute!"

Mirai's eyes bulged and his mouth dropped. Oh Kami.

Trunks jerked and looked down at her grinning face with budding horror. "You can't possibly like him!" He frantically studied her face. "Are you blushing? You do like him! I can't believe this! He's, like, a bazillion years older than you! He's as old as Gohan!"

Usagi pouted. "So?"

Trunks was flabbergasted. He was speechless for a few minutes while his brain quickly searched for an adequate rebuttal to such a nonsensical comment. "Besides, if he choses people like Gohan as a best friend, what kind of judgment does he actually have? He is hardly crush material."

"Are you insulting yourself?"

"No!"

Usagi grinned. "So you're saying that I can never have a crush on you?"

Dead silence.

Mischief danced in her eyes as she blithely continued in a thoughtful voice. "Although, at first, I was surprised that it was you. After all, who would have thought that you would turn out that cute?"

"What?!" Trunks flipped her over and mercilessly began his tickle assault. "You take that back! I am too cute! I'm cuter than Mirai could ever hope to be. Admit it!"

Mirai retreated back to the main part of the house with the Usagi's suppressed giggles echoing in his ears. When he first approached their conversation he was expecting to gain a little more insight into their unique relationship and this connection that they seemed to share – a subject that he was beginning to obsess over. Never in a million years did he expect to discover that they shared such a depth of feeling and empathy. They practically read each other's minds. He marveled, never imagining that any two people could be so close.

'_What would it be like if Usagi had been born in my time?'_ He thought about growing up with someone who he wouldn't hesitate in confessing his deepest secrets, darkest thoughts, and innermost fears; someone he could go on adventures with and who he could take care of. Memories of his mom and Gohan flashed through his mind. They always seemed to be taking care of him, no matter how hard he tried to mature and act the man; but there was no one in his life who depended on him. He ached to be there for someone, but never really had the chance to prove himself. Now, he supposed that his mom depended on him a little, but she had always been fiercely independent and mentally stood apart from everyone and had actually encouraged him to return to the past. If he knew her, she had lock herself in her lab and probably hadn't missed him in the least. '_That's not fair, and you know it.'_ He rolled his suspiciously shiny eyes, trying to banish the self pity that suddenly gripped his heart. It settled down right next to the envy that had been there all day. This present's Trunks didn't know what treasures he had in his friends.

"Mirai? What are you still doing up?"

Mirai about jumped out of his skin when he heard his mother's voice from behind him. "Nothing. Just thinking. Why does Usagi have a room here? Why does Trunks not like Gohan?"

Bulma sucked in a deep breath. "Why are you worried about all of that?" she attempted to breeze over his questions.

"Please, Mom. I want to know. I expected Usagi to want to spend some time with her family before we all ship off tomorrow; instead, she's here. As for Gohan, Trunks has already admitted his disdain at least three times today."

Bulma sighed, "It's a long and complicated story. Despite what you think, she _is_ spending time with her loved ones. This is her home now, and it has been for the past five years."

"But why?" Something was definitely wrong with this situation.

Bulma shook her head. "It's not my story to tell. Don't worry about it. It's all in the past now. As for Gohan," Bulma trailed off in thought, unsure of what to tell her son. She knew how much he admired his Gohan and didn't want to say anything that would taint the memory of his childhood hero. "In this time period, Gohan made a few horrible choices in his teenage years that had many lasting consequences. Suffice it to say, that these bad choices caused a riff between him and Trunks that will probably never fully heal."

Mirai studied her closed expression and tried to decipher her deliberately vague answers. "What choices?"

She shook her head sadly and turned to continue down the hall to her own bedroom. "You'll be going home tomorrow, Mirai. I'm sure you're excited, but you'll need some sleep. Why don't you head on to bed?" The darkness at the end of the hallway swallowed her retreating figure and left him standing alone, completely frustrated with the entire conversation. Now he had even more questions. He _would_ find out Usagi's story. '_Even if I have to drag her to my time to do it!'_

* * *

Goten gaped at the television, completely stupefied. His controller lay limp in his hands, forgotten. "Kami, Trunks! That was an awesome move!"

Trunks grinned and eyed Usagi at his side. "What? Don't I get a congratulatory kiss or something?" he tapped his cheek expectantly.

Usagi eyed the screen dubiously before rolling her eyes. Of course it was a fighting game. She was only interested in the racing ones, so she wasn't all that impressed. "Boys and their little fighting games. I don't think so."

Trunks turned away in a huff. "It looks like Goten is the only one who appreciates my genius."

Usagi grinned evilly. "Then why don't you ask him for a kiss?"

Trunks glared. Mirai snorted from is seat. Goten about fainted. "What? I'm not going to kiss Trunks!"

Vegeta stalked into the room just in time to hear the comment. He growled. "Kakarot, keep your youngest brat's lips as far away from my son as possible, or I will personally sew them shut!"

Goku looked momentarily shocked. "You can sew?! Wow, Vegeta! When did you learn that? I didn't think Freeza would give his soldiers embroidery classes."

Mirai choked on his laughter as he watched his father take a very deep breath to keep from launching himself at his rival. The morning had been so full of entertainment that he was almost sorry that they had to leave.

"Kakarot," Vegeta said very slowly. "I think..." He suck in another deep breath.

"Yeah, Vegeta?" Goku chirped.

"I think I hate you. Really and truly hate you."

Goku blinked. "But, why?"

Vegeta's eye twitched in annoyance. Could the man really be that dense? "Oh, I don't know. Why don't you think, Kakarot. Think really hard and I'm sure that the answer will come to you."

So, Goku sat blinking hard for a few minutes. "Nope! I still don't get it. I guess that means that we're still friends!"

"Calm down, Vegeta!" Bulma snapped as she swept into the room. "I think the last of the group arrived. Does everyone have clothes and whatnot? Who knows how long you'll be there before you've wiped the floor with the invading aliens."

Mirai leaned back in his chair with a grin. Ah, how he had missed his mother's supreme confidence. '_She and Dad really are well suited, provided that they don't kill each other, of course.'_

"Now then, Mirai, you'll have to explain to everyone how they're getting to the future, because something tells me that you didn't arrive in a time machine big enough to fit," she did a quick head count, "eleven people."

"Twelve," Mirai corrected.

"Twelve?" Bulma counted again. "No, there's you, Goku, Gohan, Goten, Trunks, Vegeta, Piccolo, Krillen, Tien, Yamcha, and Chaotsu. That's eleven."

Mirai nodded. "You're forgetting Usagi."

Bulma frowned. "I am?"

Usagi's eyes widened. "She is?" She was going to the future? When was this decided?

"No," Gohan stepped forward. "It's too dangerous. She could get hurt."

Trunks glared him back, suddenly wanting Usagi to come just to spite her older brother. He knew that it would be dangerous, but he didn't want to spend any amount of time away from her. His two desires had been warring with each other all morning, but he gritted his teeth and told himself not to be selfish, and resigned himself to the fact that she was going to remain in the past while he went to the future to kick some serious alien butt. Now, however, things might change.

"I think it will be fine. I'm not saying that we should drag her into battle or anything. She could stay at Capsule Corp. with my mom while we're out fighting."

Gohan still shook his head. "Absolutely not! Your world is going to be invaded by a massive alien force, you can't possibly expect us to bring along someone who doesn't know the first thing about defending herself. It's out of the question."

Trunks rolled his eyes. "Usa doesn't need to know how to fight. She's faster than any of us. She can always make a run for it."

Gohan quirked an eyebrow. "And what if the aliens are faster than even a Super Saiyajin?"

Mirai crossed his arms and grinned arrogantly. "The Androids weren't faster than a Super Saiyajin at the second level. I highly doubt these aliens will be much different."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "I know why my brat is pushing for this, but why are you?"

Mirai shifted, suddenly feeling as though his father could see right through him. "I just want Usagi to see my home, is all."

Vegeta continued to eye him suspiciously, not completely satisfied with his hasty explanation.

"Why?" Usagi's spoke up for the first time since the argument began.

Mirai stared at her for a long moment. Since the moment he met her, he wanted to see her in his time. He wanted to see her walking through his house and looking at his ruined planet...and sharing his past. Would it change how she looked at him? There was some deep feeling in his gut that was driving these crazy thoughts that he just couldn't ignore. "I just do."

Usagi blushed and turned away from his intense gaze. Trunks looked between the two of them with a fierce frown before slipping his hand in hers and shooting his older self a glare that promised bloody murder.

"Look, we can always send her back if things get too crazy," Mirai finally amended his request and waited for the verdict.

"Dad, you're the leader. What do you think?" Gohan finally turned the decision over to his father.

Vegeta snorted. "The only thing Kakarot is the leader of is the Intergalactic Consortium of Idiots – I.C.I or Icky for short." He trailed off with a snicker. Bulma smacked him across the head.

Goku tilted his head. "Well, I don't see why she can't come. I'm sure it won't be that dangerous and Mirai's right; we can always send her back if stuff gets too intense. Besides, we'll be there to protect her if anything happens." He waved his hand haphazardly, "Let the kid have an adventure."

Usagi grinned. "Really? I can go?"

Goku winked in answer.

"Thank you, Goku!" she shrieked and gave him a bear hug before racing out of the room. "Goten, Trunks come help me pack!"

Goku stared off after his daughter with a dazed expression on his face. She had hugged him!

Gohan crossed his arms. "You did that on purpose just to get on her good side."

Goku shrugged. "It made her happy, didn't it? Isn't that what fathers are supposed to do? Make their kids happy?"

Gohan glared. "And keep them safe."

Mirai watched all of this with a critical eye. Usagi had called her father by his first name again. At first he thought that there was some kind of estrangement between Usagi and her family, but it was obvious that Gohan and Goku both cared about her. '_Why is she living at Capsule Corp.?'_

"Leave it alone, brat," Vegeta cautioned, having caught his future son's calculating glances. "It's best not to meddle with this."

"With what?" For the life of him, his curiosity wouldn't stop eating at him.

Vegeta shook his head, declining to answer.

It didn't take long for the children to return to the group, adding a pink duffel bag to the pile of luggage in the corner.

"Okay," Mirai took a long piece of cloth from his bag and made some minute adjustments before handing it to Goku. "This headband was designed to allow its wearer to teleport through time. I've recalibrated it so that it can handle all twelve of us. We just need to be touching Goku when he teleports."

Goku stared at the black headband with awe. "This looks so cool. Can I wear it all the time?"

Mirai lifted an eyebrow. "Uh, sure Goku."

He quickly strapped it around his head and struck a playful pose. "How do I look?"

Usagi giggled and gave her father two thumbs up.

Goten grinned. "Awesome, Dad!"

Trunks rolled his eyes. "Well, at least its better than Gohan's Saiyaman costume."

Vegeta snorted. "Not by much." He twitched. "I'm going to have to touch Kakarot. It's enough to drive someone to gouge their eyes out with a rusted spoon," he mumbled to himself.

"What are you talking about? You touch Goku all the time," Bulma grinned from her husband's side.

Vegeta's eyes widened. "The Hell you say!"

"Are you finally admitting to never actually landing a blow during your sparring matches?" She grinned.

"Woman, punching and _touching_ are not the same thing."

"Huh," she hauled off and punched him in the shoulder, but Vegeta caught her fist in midair. "You better not give my future self a headache."

Vegeta smirked. "Are you kidding me? She's had 20 years of peace and quiet, she'll be looking for a fight. Not that she'll win," he finished arrogantly.

"And don't let any little aliens bloody you up too badly. I'd hate for my life to suddenly turn peaceful and my migraines to disappear."

Vegeta squeezed the fist he still held and locked gazes with her for one long moment before turning his back and stalking over to his rival – his arrogance and pride intact.

Mirai watched his parents with fascination. Nope. There were no mushy parting scenes and syrupy words between them, and yet he could still tell that they cared deeply for each other. This Bulma turned to him next. "Bye, Mirai. You need to come back sometime just to spend a few days. Don't wait another decade or for the next alien invasion okay? And make sure your father stays out of trouble."

Mirai hugged her back with a quick grin.

Bulma dropped to her knees and pulled Trunks and Usagi in for a hug. "You two be careful. Usagi, keep a tight leash on Trunks and your little brother – Kami only knows what trouble they'll get into left to their own devices. Trunks, I know you'll watch out for Usagi, so I'm not too worried. Make sure you don't take any stupid risks with these aliens, okay?"

Trunks sighed. "Alright, Mom. Can you let go now so that we can go already?"

"Just for that charming little comment." She leaned in and pecked his cheek. "Kiss." She demanded and pointed to her cheek.

Trunks look horrified at the prospect of having to kiss his mother in front of everyone. "But, Mom," he whispered. "Everyone's watching."

"Does that change how you love your mother? Kiss," she barked out like a commander.

Trunks cringed and quickly kissed her cheek before racing off to his father, his face burning, dragging a giggling Usagi behind.

Mirai looked around the assembled group with a frown. "Where's Chichi? Doesn't she want to say bye to her family?"

Everyone froze when they heard the woman's name. Mirai watched in confusion as Trunks and Vegeta both growled while the Sons each looked uncomfortable.

Goten hurried with an explanation before tempers could start to rise. "Uh, we already said our goodbyes before we left this morning."

Mirai frowned. "Oh. Okay, then. Is everyone ready?"

Earth's warriors gathered around their leader, grasping their suitcases and duffel bags with one hand.

"Guys!" Goku laughed when eleven other hands reached out to him. "That tickles!" He squirmed and laughed helplessly.

"Shut up, Kakarot, and do it already!" Vegeta barked. "I don't want my hand to get permanently infected with your idiocy."

"Alright, alright. Hold your royal horses." He raised his fingers to his forehead and concentrated. There was a slight pause. "Uh, Mirai? What am I supposed to be concentrating on anyway?"

Everyone groaned.

Mirai hid a grin. "Just concentrate on Capsule Corp.'s front door. The headband will do the rest."

"Oh, okay!" he chirped and thought hard. It would take a good bit of energy to teleport this many people at once.

"Bye Bulma!"

And they disappeared.

* * *

AN: I know nothing much happened this chapter because it's really a transition chapter, but I figured everyone would like the dialogue (someone requested less serious dialogue, and I delivered! I just hope that everyone liked it and that it still fit in with the rest of the story) and the couch scene between Trunks and Usa. Hopefully this gives you a little more insight into Mirai's character and motivation. The next chapter is going to be long and there will be lots of stuff going on, so don't worry! I'll give you a little hint: she's going to meet the future version of Chichi in the next chappy. 0.0

I updated my profile page! Yay! So, please check it out!

As always, critics and comments are most appreciated! I always like listening to what yall have to say. I'm also trying to comment to some of your comments.

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**Fire Dolphin** – You're going to have a long wait for the reintroduction of the Saiyajin world and Bardock, but it's all connected! You'll see them again in the last third of this story if everything goes to plan.

**Tsuki no Echo** – I'm glad you noticed how different they are! You are so on the right track with Vegeta being the deciding influence, but there is one other reason. It should be explained in the next few chapters.

**Dreaming.sapphire** – I'm glad the last chappy was a b-day present. Happy birthday!

**Moon-bunny735** – Yeah, there was no way I was going to leave the story hanging. Trunks and Usa still have to get together in the end, but not without walking through fire first!

**The Night Air **– Much of what I have planned so far is still in outline form in my head. I'm going to try my best to not have the time changes be very abrupt. If I planned it out right then the time changes should divide the story into its three parts. (crosses fingers) hopefully there should only be one more time change.

**Shadowchild89** – I wasn't thinking about giving Usagi a full blown crush until your comment, so thanks!

**Bebepantheon **– I'm glad that you liked Completion, and thanks for the vote of confidence!

**HayleyM425** – loved the batman comment! Made me laugh.

**Elfwarrior87** – You're on the right track about the puberty. I also kept her oblivious in this chapter because of your comment! Yes, Usagi will be getting more scout powers, but not for a little while; probably not until the last third of this story.


	22. House of Horrors

**Chapter 21**

Her head was swimming and her very skin seemed to be oversensitive to the elements. '_This is just like the time when we teleported from Otherworld after Trunks and Vegeta dragged me off of Vegeta-sei. I don't think I'm ever going to like doing this.'_ Her stomach seemed to have lodged itself somewhere in her throat and didn't appear to be coming down anytime soon. Usagi still hadn't worked up the courage to open her eyes even though she could hear the various gasps of her time traveling companions.

"Usa, you've got to see this," Goten's breathed out somewhere in front of her.

As if that were the only urging that she needed, she slowly pried her eyelids up and blinked her vision into focus. That's about when she noticed that everyone had somehow turned around and were currently staring behind her. She glimpsed Mirai's face that seemed to convey a curious mixture of shame and anxiety before turning herself to see what held everyone's fascination. Her breath caught and her eyes grew impossibly wide with horror.

'_Oh, Kami.'_ Her mind couldn't seem to grasp the scene of total destruction that was laid out before her.

It looked like the neighborhood that she had thoroughly explored during the last five years had been gutted. There wasn't a building left untouched by whatever catastrophe had stuck. Usagi let her gaze slowly skim the huge piles of rubble that were mixed with random city remnants, wincing when she saw a mangled tricycle that had been twisted into a grotesque parody of a pretzel. She wouldn't let herself think about the fate of the child who was its owner. The street itself, asphalt and all, had been plowed up so that charred earth could be seen underneath. Miraculously, there were a few hardy weeds attempting to make the mound a home. Maybe there was hope for this world after all.

Just when she turned to face her companions the light fell in such a way that it glinted off something hidden in the earth pile. She squinted her Saiyajin eyesight and slowly brought the shining object into focus. It was a drinking glass, possibly from one of the many restaurants that used to line the streets, but this one had a bloody stain of a smeared hand print streaking its surface. A silent testament to the total destruction of the Androids.

"Welcome to the Future that would have been," Mirai spoke quietly as if he knew that everyone needed time to process the harshness of his reality.

Usagi started at his voice. It sounded so cold. Her brow furrowed. '_No, not cold, just sad.' _ His eyes were haunted, even now, years later. She looked at him and suddenly understood that his past was so far beyond anything she had ever experienced, that she wasn't sure that she knew him anymore. '_Who are you, Mirai?' _To what extent would living through such a trauma change a person?

"Come on guys, I'm sure that Mom is starting to get worried." Mirai made to open the front door of Capsule Corp. when a few protests drew him short.

"Actually, Mirai, we know that this is going to be a reunion of sorts," Krillen looked pointedly at the Saiyajins in the group, "and I think that the rest of us would rather pass on all the tears and shouting."

Mirai looked startled for a moment. He hadn't expected some of the fighters to want to go off on their own; after all, Capsule Corp. was big enough to house an army. After careful consideration he nodded his agreement, he really should have thought this through more thoroughly. Of course some of the fighters would feel awkward. "I've spent most of the last few years rebuilding the other side of the city. There isn't any running water or electricity yet, but there's shelter, if you're interested. You shouldn't have any trouble finding what you need."

Piccolo grunted his denial and flew off in search of a spring where he could rest his mind and attempt to connect to this Earth's energy. He only prayed that the destruction hadn't damaged the planet's spirit beyond repair.

Krillen, Yamcha, Tien, and Chaotsu, however, accepted Mirai's offer and, after a quick wave and a promise to return the following day, they flew off in search of lodging.

This left the seven Saiyajins to cluster awkwardly at the front door of the mansion. Vegeta couldn't stand the waiting. "Well, brat? Cut the foreplay and just open the damn door."

Mirai blushed at the comment and, with a quick jerk of his hand, led them into the same living room that had been wrecked the day before in their time.

Usagi immediately noticed the room seemed less polished than it did in the past. The furniture seemed to have been patched up and repaired instead of replaced, giving it a well-worn and faded look. A clock on the mantel had busted and now lay silent, the hands sagging with gravity, both pointing straight down. Small imperfections and inconsistencies were subconsciously noted as she scanned the room comparing it to its past counterpart. The table side lamp had been replaced. The coffee table had a few extra stains and scratches.

"Trunks? Are you back so soon?" came a slightly worn voice from another room. The voice somehow rang familiar.

Mirai raised his voice to call to his mother who was still in the kitchen. "Yeah, Mom, and I brought guests."

Usagi heard a muffled gasp followed quickly by the sound of a chair scraping across tile and two pairs of running feet. '_Two pairs?' _A foreboding chill raced up her spine and seeped into her gut, so she moved closer to Trunks and reached for his hand. Goten surprised her when he slipped his hand into her other one. They hung back a little, each feeling a little lost in this time period. Trunks, because he already had a future version and so felt like an intruder and Usagi and Goten because they missed their chance at existence and thus didn't have a place in this time at all.

Vegeta shifted his feet in a rare show of nerves and reached out to cup his son's shoulder. Trunks stiffened slightly, unused to his father's rare shows of affection but knew not to question it. Apparently, they weren't the only ones feeling a little apprehensive about the upcoming reunion.

Bulma rounded the corner frantically scrubbing at her grease-stained hands with a damp dishtowel. She looked older; there were quite a few strands of gray highlighting her previously shocking blue hair and more than a few new stress lines creasing her face. '_But she's still beautiful,'_ Usagi thought with a gentle smile. Nothing as plebeian as age could conquer the indomitable will of one Bulma Briefs.

Usagi quickly lost her smile when she noticed the woman entering behind her guardian. That bun of black hair still struck the same apprehensive cord in her memory, no matter how many new gray strands were streaking it. She jumped over the woman's face – not wanting to stare into those soulless black pits she called eyes – and dully noted that the woman who birthed her still wore the same purple qipao that she favored in the past.

Almost simultaneously, she felt Trunks and Goten tighten their grips on her hands protectively while Gohan stepped in front of her to block her from sight, inadvertently breaking the stare down with his abrupt movements.

"G-Gohan?"

When he turned to the speaker in acknowledgment, the future version of Chichi launched herself at her son, "Oh, my precious Gohan!" The pain of his future self's relatively recent passing reflected brightly in her eyes. She snatched him tight in a hug and buried her tear-streaked face in his spiky hair. "I know that you're not the Gohan that I knew, but you'll always be my precious baby boy no matter what time period you're from."

A blush heated his cheeks at her comments, but Gohan took comfort in that his mother was still the overly emotional woman that he was used to, so, with a soft smile he wrapped her in a gentle hug.

"And Goku, you big lug, get over here!" She threw out an arm and dragged her husband into a fierce hug. At long last, she had her family together again.

Usagi gently squeezed her younger brother's hand. She could feel his slight hurt at being left out. "Don't worry, Goten. She hasn't seen you yet. I bet she freaks and faints dead when she sees a miniature version of Goku."

Goten suddenly felt like he was back at the restaurant again meeting his father for the first time, except now he was meeting his mom. '_This is just too weird.' _Although he knew his mother cared about him a great deal, the same nervousness and self doubt crept into his mind. '_What if she doesn't like me?'_ His mind answered, '_I'll have to move out and go live with Trunks and Usa.'_ He paused in thought. '_Hey that wouldn't be too bad!'_ Sure, he'd have to put up with Vegeta, but he would get to hang out with his sister and best friend all the time. '_I'd miss Dad too much.'_ Still, the worst-case scenario didn't seem too horrible. Besides, this was only while they were in the future anyway. He knew that the moment he returned home, his mom would love him again. He suddenly felt heartened and stood up straighter. This wasn't going to be too bad.

Unlike her best friend, the future version of Bulma calmly made her way to her husband after properly welcoming her own son home. The sight of her arrogant prince standing against the backdrop of the open door with his hand on his son's shoulder really jerked at her heartstrings because, in that brief moment, she was given a glimpse into the family that could have been hers had the Androids never come to power. Instead, her husband was murdered before they had the chance. She blinked away the mist in her eyes and couldn't help but envy her past self just a little.

Vegeta stared at her, noting her aged appearance and thought that time had treated her kindly. She looked a little too emotional for him though, so he set out with his normal arrogant smirk to change that. "You're not going to cry are you?"

Bulma's anger quickly evaporated the wetness in her eyes. How dare that little pick ask her that first thing and ruin the beautiful moment?! "No, I'm not, you arrogant ass!"

Vegeta smirked. "Good." He pushed his son forward, none too gently. "Go greet your pissed mother, brat," blithely urging his son closer to the fuming woman. '_Raseri, I love being an ass,'_ he thought with relish when he noticed that her tears had vanished.

Bulma ignored her husband and pulled Trunks into her arms. "Trunks! Don't you look so cute! I remember when you were this young. Look at that haircut, even in the past I had good taste." Trunks smirked into his mother's shoulder, letting her compliments and arrogance wash over him. '_Yep, she's still Mom.'_

Bulma noticed that he was only returning her hug with one arm, so she followed the line of his other and gasped at the blond girl. '_How adorable!'_ "And who might you be?"

"My name's Usagi."

Bulma stared at the children's intertwined hands and looked deep into the girl's blue eyes. A sudden thought stilled her. '_I have blue eyes.'_ "I have a daughter?!" she shrieked loud enough to still the commotion behind her. There had been other startled shrieks from the Son family when Chichi caught sight of her youngest son. Now, however, everyone paused. Bulma jerked back from her son and stared at him with wide eyes. "Usagi is your sister?!"

Trunks blinked at her for a few seconds before it clicked. "What?! No! Kami, no! Eew. She's not my sister!" he had never even thought about her like that. "She's my best friend."

Bulma glared up at her husband. "You could have said something instead of letting me get excited like that." Vegeta humped and crossed his arms, but not before she saw an amused look in his eyes.

"No, you don't have a daughter." He all but grinned. "You drew the line at the fifth brat saying that you would castrate me if you had to go through the birthing process just one more damned time. The Saiyajin royal blood didn't weaken itself by producing _females_," he finished the outrageous lie with a small dramatic flourish and a slight sneer, hoping to prick her feminist pride.

"WHAT?! W-We have," she stuttered, trying to wrap her mind around five Saiyajin boys. She could barely raise one without having a nervous breakdown! Suddenly frantic, she started looking for her purse. She needed some serious painkillers to combat the headache creeping up her forehead.

Vegeta eyed her rapidly paling face and blissfully continued. "I would tell you their names, but I've forgotten them already. I just refer to them as numbers. You're most familiar with Brat #1," he pointed to his grinning son. "And you're always bitching about how much they beat up on Kakarot's puny offspring – blood on the carpet and all that." He just couldn't resist slandering his rival.

"Aspirin! I need..." she trailed off in a horrified whisper.

"Dad! Cut it out!" Mirai stepped forward and pulled his shocked mother into a comforting hug. "Mom, he's just teasing you. You don't have four other boys. Just calm down."

Chichi took this opportunity to study the blond girl who was watching the dramatic scene with a knowing smile. There was something about her that struck her as odd. Her gaze drifted down to jerk with shock at the brown tail readjusting itself around her waist. '_She's a Saiyajin child?! Then that means...'_

"Usagi, what is your last name?" Chichi couldn't wait any longer. The shock of seeing her family who were, for all intents and purposes, back from the dead, plus the surprise of discovering that she had another son was causing her overworked mind to jump to conclusions and lose what little patience she had left.

Usagi refused to meet the woman's eyes as she struggled internally, wishing to avoid answering all together. She had hoped that this particular question could have been put off just a little longer. '_Yeah, like forever.'_ Her gaze unconsciously flitted around the room restlessly jumping across every piece of furniture and every window. It wasn't until she realized that she was examining everyone's footwear and mentally mapping out possible escape routes that her brain finally overcame its momentary shock. '_No!'_ She wasn't going to let herself change back into the quiet, scared girl who dominated her childhood.

Usagi took a calming breath and remembered the therapist's advice about positive mental reenforcement. '_This woman has absolutely no power over me unless I give it to her. I am a Saiyajin!'_ She invoked the single, most powerful memory that, years later, still gave her a deep sense of confidence. The image of her grandfather's eyes lit with pride as he knelt on the floor of Bamato's Bar with the rest of their race flashed through her mind. '_Bardock is proud of me and that's all I need.'_ Slowly, she straightened her shoulders and lifted her head to meet the anxious and hopeful – '_hopeful?' - _eyes of the woman who haunted her nightmares. It wasn't until that moment that she felt Trunks' reassuring grip on her hand and Vegeta's and Goten's calming presence at her back. Out of the corner of her vision she noted that even Gohan and Goku stood stiffly waiting to rush forward should the situation demand immediate action. It suddenly struck her all at once exactly how much her situation had changed over the past few years. She wasn't alone anymore. In fact, now she had a veritable army of extremely powerful beings standing just behind her, ready to help her confront her demons. This woman didn't stand a chance.

After what felt like a small eternity to her but was in fact justs a few short moments, she broke the tense silence. "I'm Son Usagi."

Chichi released the breath that she had been holding and wondered if it was just her imagination or if the girl had to think about her last name. "I have a daughter?" Tears threatened to fall. In a move that shocked everyone, she reached out and pulled the startled girl into a tight hug and started rambling incoherently in an attempt to convey the joy that seemed to spill from her heart.

Goku watched his daughter's face with growing apprehension as it rapidly paled to the point that she resembled some spectral ghost. It wasn't until her eyes seemed to glass over in shock that he thought to interfere with the mother-daughter moment. He could sense just how happy his wife was and didn't want to ruin this moment for her and hadn't really considered the power of Usagi's traumatic memories. Before he could speak a word, however, Usagi jerked and tripped out of her mother's grasp. Her heel caught on the edge of the carpet and sent her tumbling to the floor where she scrambled back with her hands until she bumped into the wall behind her. She fought to breathe with quick and shallow breaths as her mind relived some of her worst memories that the familiar scent of the woman had unconsciously resurrected.

Chichi was shocked, to say the least, while Bulma and Mirai merely looked perplexed. Goku stared at his daughter in confusion, not fully understanding her mental state while his oldest son looked on with pity and shame.

"Usagi, what -" Chichi sputtered.

Gohan rushed to the rescue. "She's shy, is all. Sorry we forgot to tell you, Mom." He knew that calling her 'Mom' again after the years of his counterpart's death would tug at her emotions in an almost cruel way, but he used this power shamelessly in order to give his little sister some more time to cope. A small streak of satisfaction swelled within him when he saw tears immediately spring to her eyes. She blinked them away and cleared her throat.

"Oh. Well, that explains it then." It didn't even occur to her to question her newly resurrected son.

Mirai frowned. No. That didn't explain anything. The girl he met wasn't the least bit shy towards strangers and especially not towards her family. Something wasn't right here.

"Well, before you all showed up, Chichi and I were talking in the kitchen," Bulma's confident, commanding voice broke through the slightly awkward silence. "We decided that we should put off the serious talk until tomorrow. The aliens aren't going to be here for a few more days, so we've still got plenty of time to plan. Instead we can have a nice, relaxing evening getting reacquainted with our respective families; so, tonight everyone will go home and have a nice dinner and relax a little before running off to save the planet. How does that sound?" she barked out in a voice that didn't encourage argument, oblivious to the nearly identical proposal her past self made just the day before.

Goku perked up. "That'd be great! Man, I'm starving."

Chichi smiled a little dreamily. "You always were hungry." She glanced around at her three children and her husband. "I wonder if I can still cook for a Saiyajin's bottomless pit of a stomach."

Vegeta grunted indifferently.

Bulma beamed. "Then its settled. All the Sons report to the cottage and the Briefs follow me to the kitchen."

Trunks frowned. "This is not going to work."

"No. It's alright, Trunks. I can do this." Even though the thought of spending the night back in the cottage sent chills running up her spine and had a lead weight settling itself in her stomach, Usagi refused to be a coward any longer. With her two brothers at her back and Goku watching out for her, she could easily handle this future version of her mother.

Just by looking into her eyes Trunks could see how determined she was to see this through, as though it were some kind of personal test of courage. He, personally, thought this was a pointless gesture because she was already one of the most courageous people he knew. "If you feel the least bit scared or uncomfortable, I want you to come right home. Okay?"

Chichi frowned. What was he talking about? Why would she feel scared? "Home? And where is her home if it's not at the cottage?"

Trunks flashed his devil-may-care smirk. "Her home is wherever I am."

* * *

The trip to the Sons' cottage was a clever game of avoidance and omissions in which Gohan excelled. He neatly smoothed over awkwardly pointed questions and ran interference between Usagi and their mother, keeping any direct contact between the two minimal, for which Usagi was eternally grateful. During the recitation of their vastly different life history he skimmed over the basics, simply jumped over the more difficult years of their family dynamics, and neatly explained her living at the Brief's with "it was more convenient for Usagi to live in the city while she was going to public school and she was so happy at Capsule Corp. that we thought it best if she stayed". Before Chichi could voice a comment, Gohan prompted his father to take up the tale and recount his adventures in the afterlife. Usagi smiled to herself. Gohan really was a genius. Just in case this failed, Goten was glued to her side ready with a question or inane comment to divert his mother's attention during the conversation lulls.

Goku listened to the delicate fiction his oldest son was weaving, paying particular attention to what was not being said. He wasn't sure of the exact specifics that transpired in his house – just what had been recounted to him by his daughter and sons – but he had never seen the effects of that violent history, until now. The tension in the aircar was palpable as they touched down in the dirt-packed clearing that made up the front yard. Usagi's pale but determined face starkly underscored the terror that this place held for her.

"Here we are. Home sweet home," Chichi chirped happily before climbing out of the car.

Usagi cringed but refrained from commenting.

It had been five years since she had set foot inside this house and yet she still remembered it like yesterday. Even in an alternate future, it still looked almost exactly the same. The whole house was literally a catalog of bad memories, but the living room was especially vivid. There was the vase that her mother once threw and cut her arm with. Here was the carpet that had to be replaced after the beating she got when she came home late from the first night of school. She shivered when she remembered the booming thunder and the freezing rain. That was a bad night. For a little while she was stuck in the mental recitation of the beatings that dominated her childhood – in front of the couch, in the back corner, down the hallway – until Goten touched her arm and snapped her out of her stupor. She hadn't even noticed that she was shaking and drenched in a cold sweat.

"It's okay, Usa. We're not going to let anything happen to you now."

Gohan patted her shoulder awkwardly. "Why don't we get washed up for dinner?"

Chichi frowned immediately suspicious. No child wanted to wash up for dinner. "But I haven't even started cooking yet," she protested weakly.

"I know, Mom, but it's such a beautiful day outside that I don't think we should waste it; not unless you want us hanging over your shoulder while you cook," Gohan suggested knowing her pet peeve against what she disdainfully called "kitchen hovering".

Chichi scowled, remembering how Saiyajins – her husband especially – had a knack for sneaking food before it was finished. She promptly banished them from the kitchen for the rest of the afternoon.

Gohan winked down at his younger sister before slamming out the screen door, stripping off his shirt as he walked. "No sense in spending more time in the house of horrors than necessary."

Usagi stared after him with a lump swelling in her throat. He understood. He finally understood her. She blinked away the tears and vowed to put the past behind her and live in the moment at least for a few hours, and so challenged her brother and Goku to a race. "Last one to the creek is a Namekian green bean!" ignoring Gohan's protest of "I don't think Piccolo would like being referred to as a food".

* * *

A few hours later, Goku sighed in contentment as he leaned back against one of the sun-warmed boulders lining the creek and watched through half-lidded eyes as all three of his children tried in vain to catch one of the monster fish that called this creek a home. He was pretty sure that their hour-long water fight had scared off every animal in the vicinity, but he wasn't going to spoil their fun by imparting that little fact. Seeing all of them laughing together and smelling the tantalizing aroma of dinner wafting through the clearing – apparently Chichi was going all out for their homecoming – gave Goku a glimpse into the perfect life that would have been his had he never died. He was grateful to have even this much time to taste a small slice of paradise and feel the sharp pang of bittersweet regret. Everyone was here, in his house. Together. Happy. He couldn't have asked for anything more.

"Alright dinner's ready!" Chichi bellowed from the open door, the light from the kitchen outlining her spatula-wielding form against the backdrop of a forest-wreathed sunset. "Everyone better dry off before setting one toe inside this house!"

Their stomach pains had them dried, dressed, and sitting at the table in under five minutes flat. The table was literally groaning under the weight of the dishes stacked three layers thick. There was everything from chicken to casserole, from tofu to toffee brownies; a veritable feast for kings...or a typical dinner for hungry Saiyajins. Usagi had never seen so much food on one table before; there was barely enough room to put her rice bowl!

Chichi let everyone bask in the glory of her cooking for a long moment before giving the signal to begin. Immediately the table was assaulted on all sides by eager fingers and dueling chopsticks. She was about to comment on how someone could lose a finger at the very least in the feeding frenzy that was a Son family meal, when she noticed that Usagi wasn't scarfing her face like the rest of her family. In fact, she seemed to be carefully examining each piece of food and then inconspicuously shooting her mother an apprehensive look before finally taking a bite. This made for slow eating. Chichi's brow furrowed. '_There's something about that girl.'_ As soon as Usagi noticed her troubled expression she put her chopsticks down and sat quietly, letting the guys devour a vast majority of the tasty dishes. Chichi was about to comment when she noticed that there were no drinks on the table.

"Oh my, I forgot the drinks!" She scraped back her chair and stood. "What does everyone want? Goku, I think I have some leftover sake in the kitchen; Gohan, I guess you're old enough to have one glass, but only one! I won't have my first born turning into an alcoholic."

Goten perked up and mouthed around his steamed bun, "E vant sake doo!"

"Absolutely out of the question. And, Goten, sweetie, don't talk with your mouth full. It's disgusting and makes you look like your father. I'm sure I taught you better than that. Usagi," she turned to her daughter, "do you want a glass of milk or something?"

Everyone stilled. They even stopped chewing.

"What?" Chichi asked flustered by the sudden silence.

Goku quickly rushed in to dissolve the situation. "It's nothing Chichi. Usagi just had some bad milk once," he tried not to wince as the lie slipped so easily off his tongue. Or was it a gross understatement? "Why don't you just get the drinks. I'm sure water will be fine for the kids." He quickly ushered her out of the room and turned back to stare at his middle child and her deathly pale face. She was trapped in her memories again.

Gohan knelt beside her and attempted to take her into his arms, recalling how she calmed whenever she had physical contact with Trunks or Goten. He tried not to feel hurt when she pulled away instead and stood, staring at the far wall with glazed eyes. "May I be excused?" She ran to the bathroom without waiting for an answer. Goten followed closely on her heels and ducked into the bathroom before the door slammed closed.

Goten watched as his sister paced the small confines of the room, her bare feet lightly smacking against the tiled floor, as she rubbed her hands up and down her arms to ward off the chill of bad memories. He noticed that she was swallowing repeatedly and wincing every time. The memories were bad enough that she was recalling the taste of glass.

She was practicing the breathing exercises the therapist recommended during particularly bad episodes to help calm her racing pulse. One breath in. Hold it. Count to three. Out again. "She can't hurt you anymore. Come on, Usagi. You're better than this. You're a Saiyajin. You shouldn't be scared of a stupid little glass of milk and a silly little memory," she murmured to herself, but to no avail. "It's not working!"

Goten watched as as her head snapped up, her eyes showing a lot of white, chest heaving. Panic. She was having a panic attack. He lunged forward and wrapped her tightly in his arms. "Just calm down, Usa. I'm here. Nothing is going to happen. You're safe."

The familiar scent of her brother and the warmth of his arms took the edge off the panic sweeping through her body so that she could think past the chest pains and anxiety that sent her muscles twitching erratically. She was gulping in air as if she had run a marathon and clutched feebly at Goten's shirt. Usagi clinched her eyes closed and once again concentrated on the breathing exercises that had been ingrained in her during the countless therapy sessions. One breath in. Hold it. Count to three. Out again. '_1...2....3... There is only my breath...' _ She took a deep breath, savoring the feel of comforting arms holding her. '_Only my breath.'_ Slowly, she felt her racing heart start to slow. _There is only my breath. Only my..._

Twenty minutes passed before she seemed to wake from her trance and felt calm enough to return to the table. Chichi stared at her oddly while clearing the table of empty dishes, noting how pale and shaky she was and how carefully Goten lowered her back into her seat. "Are you feeling alright, Usagi? You were in the bathroom for a long time. I've got some medicine here. It should help." She motioned to two pills sitting innocuously next to a tall glass of water.

Goku watched with sad eyes as Usagi surreptitiously glanced at the bottom of the glass to make sure that there was nothing suspicious inside before backing away. She simply shook her head. "I'm feeling better now."

Gohan breathed out a sigh of relief. Disaster abated.

It wasn't long after that Usagi pleaded fatigue and headed to her old room that she shared with Goten, leaving the adults to play catch up and discuss the future. She didn't have a long wait before Goten climbed into bed beside her. "Usa? Are you still awake?" he whispered.

Usagi had closed her eyes and turned to face the wall when she heard his approaching footsteps echo down the hallway. She feigned sleep and hoped that he didn't try to '_wake'_ her to talk about what happened in the bathroom earlier. As far as she was concerned, it was best to be forgotten. She was more than a little ashamed of herself for this weakness and didn't want yammer on about it with her brother.

"If you are, then, just know that I'm here if you want to talk," Goten finished quietly. He waited a moment before settling down into the bed and drifting off to sleep.

Usagi bit her lip and stared at the shadowed wall ashamed that she tricked her brother and scorned his offer of help. She sat like that for hours, letting the rhythmic breathing of her younger brother and the steady murmur of voices in the other room lull her into a calm that successfully kept the memories at bay. It wasn't until the stars were well past their zenith that she slowly crept out of bed, hissing as her bare feet touched the cold wooden floor. Sleep was alluding her here, and ever since the others had turned in for the night letting an absolute quiet descend over the house, the memories were attempting to rise.

With lightning fast feet and a bare whisper of cloth, she stole across the hallway and into her older brother's room. The Chichi of the future seemed to be oblivious to the rules her past self had relentlessly enforced, but Usagi wasn't taking the chance that she didn't also have a "no creeping around the house after bedtime" rule.

"Gohan?" she whispered, suddenly uncomfortable with the fact that she was here. Maybe she should sneak back into her old room. Just because he had seemed to understand her earlier today, didn't mean that he would welcome her interrupting his sleep. She was just about to turn around, when a voice froze her to the spot.

"Usa? Did something happen?" a very drowsy Gohan sat up with a frown and a barely-covered yawn. He had just been about to drift off to sleep. His hair was sticking up more than usual which caused Usagi to bite her lip to keep from giggling. She couldn't recall ever having seen her brother quite so disoriented before. He was scratching his bare chest and peering at her through squinted eyes.

"Gohan? Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Gohan immediately stilled, startled by her request. After the night he stood by and watched as their mother tied her to the tree during the lightning storm, the night his nightmares started, the night he turned a deaf ear on her pleas for help, she had never asked him for anything. Not until the day that she threatened to turn her back on the living world after Trunks and Vegeta retrieved her from Vegeta-sei, did she break her silence and demand that he be the brother she had always wanted. For five years he had been trying to redeem himself in her eyes, knowing that it wasn't until she completely forgave him that he could forgive himself. Now, here was her second request, and it was something so simple and basic that tugged at his heart.

"Sure, Usa. Climb in." He pulled back the sheet and scooted over to give her room.

She snuggled down, delighting in the warmth of the sheets and waited.

Gohan shifted uneasily, feeling inadequate all of a sudden. There was a sense of expectation from the other side of the bed and he was completely clueless. He was about to resort to whistling awkwardly when an exasperated sigh cut him short.

"You're doing this all wrong, you know." Usagi then instructed him to put his arm around her and cuddled up to him. "Much better." After a few moments she finally drifted off feeling safe and warm, confident that the nightmares would stay away for tonight. After all, her big brother was a tough Saiyajin warrior; the nightmares didn't stand a chance.

Gohan stared down at her peaceful face and felt a long gaping wound in his heart heal. He marveled at the fact that she really didn't know the extent that he would go to help her and keep her happy. She could ask him to bring her the sun on a platter of stars and he would find a way to do it. But, tonight, she only asked him to hold her and protect her. '_Gladly._

'_Night, little sister.'_ He smiled to himself and soon joined her in the world of dreams.

* * *

A few minutes later, Usagi jerked awake and stared down at her older brother with horror. The most unearthly, god-awful snoring that she had ever heard in her entire life was bellowing out of his gaping mouth, sounding suspiciously like some kind of mating call of a water buffalo. She curled the pillow against her ears in a vain attempt to block out the bone-jarring gasps, fully expecting the rest of the household to charge in at any minute shouting about an earthquake. Surely the walls were shaking. The house would soon cave in and she'd be stuck in _another_ collapsed building. At least she wasn't on the second floor this time and there wasn't a fire.

With a frustrated sigh – would she never get to sleep tonight? – she squeezed out from under his arm and padded to the door. She glanced down the darkened hallway to Goku and Chichi's room (_not going to happen), _across the hall to her and Goten's room (_already tried that)_, and finally turned right heading towards the living room and the kitchen. She didn't really have any other choice. However, in her quest for sleep, she forgot that the living room and kitchen were the stage of so many of her nightmares. She took one look at the long shadows and inky blackness of the den and didn't even have time to scream as her worst memory of being starved and locked in the basement swept over her.

Goku blinked open an eye at the punctuated sound of bellowing. It took him a long minute to place the sound and inwardly winced when he realized that someone had made the grave mistake of opening Gohan's bedroom door. He still cringed whenever he thought about his oldest's snoring problem. When they first brought him home from the hospital, he and Chichi had prayed night and day that it was just a stage that he would grow out of; but after months of sleepless nights, they finally had his room soundproofed and considered the money well spent.

'_Who could be up at this hour?'_ He scanned and immediately located his daughter's ki standing in the middle of the living room. '_What's she up to?'_ With a furtive look towards his slumbering wife, he slipped from the bed and set out to investigate.

"Usagi? If Chichi knew you were up at this time of night..." He didn't get a chance to finish when he saw her, standing with her back to him cloaked in a white floor-length nightgown looking for all the world like some lost ghost child wandering his house. She didn't move, barely seemed to breathe, just stood staring into the dark. Goku approached carefully, afraid that he might startle her from whatever thoughts kept her from sleep. He slowly made his way around so that he could face her.

She really was a beautiful child, and he felt a small spark of pride that she came from him. He, who was so used to causing pain and dealing out death and violence, had actually managed to make something beautiful.

He started to worry when he noticed that she was staring straight ahead, her eyes wide and haunted. '_Oh, no. She's trapped in another memory.' _

"Usagi? Come on, snap out of it." He reached out and pulled her close to him. She didn't respond or acknowledge his presence in any way, just leaned against him as lifeless as a doll. Slowly, he stroked her hair and talked to her, making promises each more outrageous than the last, hoping that he could bring her back from the edge of the yawning abyss of her inner pain.

He hadn't expected that returning to this house would have been such a mental trial for her. Secretly, he admitted to himself that he had selfishly wanted her to return so that he could have his entire family under one roof once again – hoping that she would like it enough to want to stay with them when they returned to the past – but he forgot the very living horrors that awaited her here. Here, in his grandfather's house, in the house he was raised, the house he was married and where his first son was born. The memories of this house were a silent beacon of hope and happiness that inspired him to fight so hard, helped him have faith in himself and the goodness of people. It was nearly impossible for him to grasp the fact that this same house and the memories it held tormented the waking mind of his only daughter. What trick of fate was it that made this place a paradise to him and the lowest rung of hell for her?

Goku stared into her glazed eyes and felt the flame of hope that he carried in his heart the last five years suddenly vanish. Even if the woman he married had a million counseling sessions and anger management classes, there was no way that his daughter could handle living in this house ever again. She was never coming home. He closed his eyes in defeat. He had lost her. Through his own ignorance and self-righteous sacrifice, he had lost the chance to be her father. '_She really is Vegeta's now.'_ He took solace in the fact that he could still watch her grow under the guidance of his prince. Fate had left him that much.

Usagi started shaking. She gripped his shirt between clinched fists. "Make it stop. Please, make it stop," she begged.

Goku jerked in surprise. "Shh. Nothing can hurt you now. I've got you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

She buried her head against him. "It's so dark. I can't see. I-I" She shuddered.

Goku stroked her head and slowly raised his ki so that it cast the room with a soft blue glow. "Not anymore. Look, there's nothing here. Nothing is going to harm you." He sat down, propped his back against the wall and cuddled her in his lap. He swayed back and forth and let the deep timbre of his voice calm her until she lay placid in his arms staring off into the distance. Goku started talking about his childhood, about the memories this house held for him, hoping to share his paradise with her.

"When I was five, I caught one of the monster fish in the creek we played in today," he started. "Granddad wasn't home from collecting firewood, but it was raining up a storm so I knew that he'd be back real soon. I knew he'd come racing out of the forest at any moment, his arms loaded down with bits of wood and twigs, cursing his rotten luck and the fickle heavens that had the sky so clear in the morning and then pitched it black with rain clouds in the evening. I wanted to surprise him with dinner and show off my amazing fishing abilities," He looked down just in time to see her smile slightly, "but I couldn't find a dry place to start scaling my fine catch, so I decided to bring it inside."

He shifted a little and pointed to a spot just inside the door. "I put it down there and grabbed a knife from the kitchen." He felt her breath catch as she anticipated what came next. "Granddad came running inside, cursing just like I imagined and weighted down to the hilt with sopping wood and promptly tripped over my fish. He pitched forward right into the guts and bones that I had so carefully removed earlier." Usagi giggled, imagining some old man sprawled out on top of a pile of fish remains.

"Granddad wouldn't let me use the oven, so I had started a fire right there." He pointed to another spot a few paces away.

"In the middle of the living room?!" Usagi asked in horror, jerking back to stare him in the eye.

"Yep!" he chirped happily. "I just sat there, one half of my monster fish roasting away, while I watched the other half sail halfway across the room. Granddad hauled himself up and started kicking at my fire, shouting about how the whole house would surely catch flame and we'd be stuck outside in the pouring rain. I was too young to understand why he as so angry."

"What'd you do?"

He smiled a little bashfully. "I cried, of course. Started bawling my little eyes out, scared that he didn't love me anymore. Apparently I had a set of lungs on me," '_That must be where Gohan gets it.'_ "and he eventually started apologizing and hugging me just to get me quiet again."

Usagi stared up at this man, the strongest warrior on the planet, and smiled, grateful that he had shared such an embarrassing story with her. It made him seem more human and infinitely more approachable. He tugged a piece of her hair back behind her ear and smiled down at her, and she suddenly realized that he was telling her this to get her mind off of her own memories. It was in that moment that she loved him, this selfless man who would sacrifice his own pride to comfort her.

"Thank you," she whispered and hugged him tightly.

Goku eagerly returned her embrace, and sent up a silent prayer, thankful that he was able to talk her out of her fears. "Come on," he made to stand. "It's late. You should be in bed."

Usagi clutched tighter and protested. "Can we just sit here a little longer?"

Goku relented and settled down again. It wasn't long before exhaustion swept her into the world of dreams, but still he sat, blinking back tears of happiness. He remembered how hard he tried to win her over as a baby and how every time she rejected his attempts. Finally, she lay quietly in his arms, relaxed by his presence. He sat there, basking in the glow of contentment until his legs started to go numb.

Eventually, he climbed to his feet, Usagi carefully cradled in his arms and made his way to his youngest's bedroom.

"Dad? What's going on?" Goten drowsily blinked open his eyes and watched as his father gently placed Usagi under the sheets.

"Nothing, son. Go back to sleep. Usagi just had a little nightmare is all."

Goku watched with a sad heart as his youngest pulled back the covers and carefully examined her for any injuries or new bruises. "She's fine," he reassured, adjusted the blankets, tucking them both in for the night. "I never got to thank you for taking care of her all of the years I was gone."

Goten sleepily shrugged. "She's my sis," he slurred out, cuddled up to Usagi's side and promptly passed out again.

Goku sat for a long while and watched them sleep. These two children represented two very different things for him. He looked at Usagi and saw all of the missed opportunities and failures of his life, but when he looked at Goten all he saw was a world of promise filled with possibility.

He stroked the hair from Goten's sleeping face, "Thank Kami for you, Goten, because I'd be crazy with guilt now if you weren't here. You're my second chance." '_And I won't fail.' _he vowed.

* * *

* * * * * * *

* * * * * * *

AN: So, what do you think? I know there wasn't much of Trunks in this chapter, but I figured I needed to have a Son family moment. I'm particularly proud of this chapter for referencing and pulling in so much from previous chapters (the school fire, Bardock, the restaurant, the beatings, the milk flashback, etc.). Not to mention, that Usagi is making peace with Gohan and Goku. Yay!

Some have asked about Bardock. I can't really figure out how to work in a chapter with Vegeta-sei that wouldn't be completely outside of the progression of the plot, but I'll keep thinking about it. Maybe an Interlude or something? I dunno.

Someone asked about the couch scene in last chapter. I'm glad that most of you liked it! Trunks wasn't really referring to sex. He's still not quite thinking along those terms yet, but because he is getting older and a little more mature he's starting to realize his feelings for Usagi are changing. I'll tackle this whole thing a little later, so wait for that chappy! Also, otaku, good point about the bended knee thing, I didn't catch that. I'm having a hard time shifting them from their little kid image to adolescents, especially since I have very little experience with kids to draw from.

As for some who asked about the next appearance of the SM plotline, either in the next chapter or the one after that Usagi will be getting a visitor from her past. Anyone care to make a guess as to who?

Please review and tell me your thoughts and reactions! I love hearing from yall. See you next chapter!


	23. Hope

**Chapter 22**

"Computer, enhance sector 3805HZ." Everyone watched the 3D holoprojection distort and focus on what looked like a fleet of ships straight out of a Star Wars movie. They were moving extremely fast through the vacuum of space.

"As you can see," Bulma continued her lecture, "This is no small fleet. My estimates, based on the size of the ships and the necessary supplies needed to sustain an army for travel, put the enemy at 3 thousand strong, maybe more."

"Yeah? You think so? That many?" Goku could hardly contain his excitement. There had never been so large a force sent to attack Earth. Three thousand aliens versus eleven Z-Senshi, it sounded like a challenge that had his Saiyajin blood humming.

Piccolo studied the images with a critical eye while he opted to ignore his friend's misplaced enthusiasm. Saiyajins would never change. "It looks like they are a technologically advanced species."

Vegeta scoffed. "You can't make that assumption. They could have bought the technology or simply stolen it."

"Like the Saiyajins did?" Piccolo matched him sneer for sneer.

Krillen stepped in before a fight could break out. He had plenty of practice breaking up elementary school kids that it came as second nature now. "Come on guys, lets save it for the bad guys." He looked back to the image and felt a small bead of sweat drip down his back, the sheer amount of enemies intimidated the hell out of him. "H-Have we thought about sending an envoy, a peace treaty or something? Maybe we could talk them out of trying to sell the planet?"

Mirai looked doubtful. "I don't think they're going to take their 3 thousand soldiers and go home just because we asked nicely. Even their lackey guy tried to fight me, however pitifully."

"Sardanians are an enslaved people." Vegeta instructed, referring to the scout. "Only a race with power and a lack of morals would make use of their services. This may surprise you earthlings but the conquering and selling of planets is a lucrative and popular business for many races. It's a pity that humans lack the stomach for it."

Goku nodded, ignoring the last comment. "But what race is it? If we knew what they were then we could figure out their weaknesses."

Vegeta frowned. "Woman," he barked just to see her eye twitch with annoyance, "Can you zoom with this contraption? Focus on the sides of the ships, many idiots with a fleet this large put markings on the outside to help identify the ships from one another. I may recognize the language."

Bulma simply stared at the past version of her husband in surprise. When did he get so smart? A few quick taps on the machine's panel dissolved the view of the entire fleet and zoomed in to focus on the largest of the ships.

"There!" Gohan cried with joy and pointed to the back right panel next to the boosters. Everyone squinted. It looked like a strange mixture of chicken scratch and dotted braille.

"The Zui," Vegeta sneered.

"Huh? The who?"

"Don't you know anything Kakarot? The Zui are the mercenaries that Freeza used after he decided that the Saiyajins were too much of a threat. A single Zui is not as powerful as a single Saiyajin, but they are twice as devious. Bunch of cowards," he growled. "Unlike Saiyajins who welcomed any and all challenges and simply exterminated the local population, the Zui wait until a planet is at its weakest. They watch for mass famines, natural disasters, or other enemies that destroy a majority of the local population for them before they finally move in to clean up the stragglers and prep the planet for sale. They rely mostly on their sheer numbers to ensure victory."

Tien frowned, "The Andriods attacked and killed most of the world's population here. The Earth is at Her weakest. No wonder they're attacking now."

Mirai closed his eyes in pain, "Will the suffering the Andriods inflicted never end? Didn't they do enough? Now we have more enemies on our doorstep because of them! Damn them to Hell and back." Mirai's eyes burned with frustration and rage. He couldn't take it anymore and blasted out the window searching for solace...or at least a place to vent his anger.

* * *

Usagi wandered alone through one of the only wooded forests left in the area. Her morning had been spent exploring and trying not to cry over all the senseless destruction surrounding her. The city had been completely demolished. The neighborhood around Capsule Corp was only been the beginning, the tip of the iceberg. After only an hour she had to escape and surround herself with life and nature. Thankfully, she stumbled across the forest tucked at the base of the mountain outside of what was once Satan City.

Wooded areas had always been a source of comfort for her. Even on Planet Vegeta she would fly over miles of desert in search of sparse oases, so that her mind could finally settle. Peace was in nature. She smiled and pushed away a low-hanging pine branch.

Her small bubble of happiness quickly shattered when she felt a small explosion ripple through the forest floor. Only a ki blast could cause the ground to shake quite like that. Of all the places in all the world, she hoped she hadn't stumbled upon Trunks and Goten's sparing spot. Not after this morning anyway. She was still unsettled about her prince's behavior.

* * *

_Earlier..._

Trunks quietly shoved open to the window of his friend's bedroom. Regardless of what shape he would find Usagi, he didn't want to alert her mother to his presence. Even though he had been monitoring the ki here throughout the night, her safety wasn't guaranteed. He wasn't about to go back on his word to Usa and let any harm come to her, not even here in the future. There was some small part of him, a part that he only acknowledged to himself in the hours before dawn, that hoped she was in danger so that he could rush in to save her. This feeling was just one of the new darker feelings that plagued him of late.

He froze the minute he saw the bed. After all this worrying, there she was sleeping peacefully, wrapped in her brother's arms. Trunks scowled. For some reason seeing her so contented bothered him. '_Because she didn't need you_,' his subconscious tortured him. Some feeling he couldn't name caused his insides to flinch. He was just pissed enough to want to rain on her parade.

"Usagi, wake up."

The blond girl flinched at the harsh sound but slowly nestled in the covers. She stretched languidly and blinked up at him sleepily. "Morning, Trunks," she smiled sweetly.

Trunks briefly noticed how the dawn light turned her hair into molten gold, but refused to let the strange observation deter him. No one could hold onto anger better than a Saiyajin royal. He scowled. "You didn't come find me last night."

Usagi grinned proudly. "Nope! I had a pretty bad night, but Goku and Gohan helped me through it. I really think we're all starting to understand each other a little better," she finally caught sight of the scowl painted across his face. "Trunks? What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" he barked.

She jerked back in shock, eyes wide and staring at him in confusion.

He couldn't look at her face for very long without feeling guilty for snapping, so he turned to stare out of the window he had crawled through.

"Trunks?"

He sighed, "I guess I just didn't get much sleep last night." That was the best he could do for an apology. "Come here."

She stiffened at the order, but nonetheless shifted closer, trying to ignore Goten's restraining hold around her waist. Trunks frowned down at the arms wrapped around her and debated on whether to wake Goten up so that he would release his death grip, or let him sleep so that he could have more private time with Usagi.

When she was close enough he bunched a fistful of hair in his hand and inhaled. She smelled so good. He craved her scent; another recent change. "Tell me what happened last night."

Usagi tried to ignore the third command of the morning. Was that all he ever said to her anymore? "It was nothing, really. Just some bad memories." She didn't want to think about her past horrors and ruin the morning.

Trunks growled in annoyance. Now she was brushing him off! Like hell that would happen. "You're staying at Capsule Corp from now on."

Usagi jerked back and winced when he refused to release her hair. "B-But, why?"

Trunks didn't like her questioning him. "Because I said so. Now, wake Goten up. I want to spar."

* * *

The two had gone to spar and left her to spend the morning by herself. The adults were meeting at Capsule Corp to discuss the enemy. Since she wasn't part of the fighting party and Trunks and Goten had never been one for technical talk and sitting quietly for any length of time, they weren't really expected to attend. Besides, her curiosity about this time was voracious. '_Well, maybe not after everything I saw this morning._'

She was curious about the ki blast though. There would be more sounds of battle if Trunks and Goten were sparing. They were never quiet, especially Goten. The forest would have been awash with the sounds of taunts and whining, flesh hitting flesh, and the landscape being altered by the sheer power of the Saiyajins. There was none of that here. Just the ki blast.

Usagi sneaked closer and peaked through the trees only to stop and gape at the most beautiful clearing. There was a lake that was so clear it looked like the sky had been trapped in its depths. The mountain's reflection stretched across its placid surface. Circling around the lake were dozens of stone statues, gods of religions so old only the earth knew their names. Flowers of every color and vines of all sizes filled the spaces between the statues. Across the lake a waterfall emptied into another pond sending rainbows of light and mist across the weeping willows that swayed at the water's edge.

'_Heaven.'_

In the middle of this sanctuary stood Mirai. He slowly raised his palm and ki blasted a statue into oblivion, reducing it to so much rubble and waste. Usagi gasped in horror and rushed forward. "Stop! What are you doing? Stop!"

Mirai stiffened in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Usagi skidded to a halt across from him. Why were both Trunkses furious today? "I-I was out exploring. This place is amazing, a paradise. Why are you destroying it?"

Mirai laughed bitterly. "I built it, so I should be the one to destroy it."

"You? You built this place?" She looked around and examined the place in a whole new light. The creator was the real mystery though. How could someone who suffered beyond all imagining, watched their world crumble around them, and surrounded themselves with the waste of humanity create something so pure and perfect as this clearing? Only to destroy it.

"Why?" She didn't understand.

"The Andriods are responsible for the enemy heading to Earth. We will have no peace once again!" The pain in his voice sent chills down her spine. "It is imperative that the Earth have time to heal and rebuild, humanity is hanging on by a thread. All my efforts these past years, for nothing! Nothing! They will come and destroy this place, they will destroy everything. It is better for me, who loved this clearing, to destroy it before it is taken from me like everything else."

He turned eyes blinded by bitterness to examine her coldly. "Sometimes I wish I had never met you, that I never knew what could have been, what will never be. I am meant to be alone in an apocalyptic world plagued with enemies and suspicion, death and despair. You alone give me hope and I don't deserve hope. Not now. Leave me, Usagi."

He went back to blasting the stones and trees surrounding his personal sanctum. All the ancient statues were reduced to a rubble of broken body parts. The trees were blasted into oblivion. He wouldn't stop until the last whole thing was broken beyond repair.

Ruined.

Like him.

Usagi turned heel and ran, blinded by her tears, confused and scared.

She ran, tripping over jutting tree roots. Branches reached out and snagged her hair, ripping at her scalp ruthlessly, but she didn't feel anything but Mirai's pain. '_How can anyone suffer so much?'_ Even though he was not her Trunks, she still felt like her soul was aching with his anguish. She sacrificed herself for Vegeta and Goku's life years before because she couldn't stand her friends' pain, but there was nothing she could do here. There was no way she could fix this and make him happy. The Dragonballs didn't exist in this timeline because the Earth's guardian died as Piccolo died. There was no hope. Usagi thought that she had left that hopeless feeling behind when she started her new life at Capsule Corp with the Briefs.

Finally she couldn't take it anymore. She collapsed to her knees and stared blindly at the destruction before her. Tears dripped down her chin in a steady stream, blurring her vision and keeping her from noticing the soft golden glow that seeped up from the ground around her, like a fog made of fairy dust. It cocooned her in a cloud of comfort and brushed away her tears.

Usagi blinked, startled when she felt an inner peace settle over her, healing her soul. She looked up and gasped. Gold dust swirled around her, like she was stuck in a life-sized snow globe. The golden specks brushed against her and then danced away teasingly as she tried to catch a handful. Happiness bubbled up from within. '_How is this happening?'_ She only felt this way with one person.

"Trunks?" she called out uncertainly.

Her voice seemed to shatter the moment and the swirling fairy dust slowly floated down and disappeared back into the Earth as if they never existed.

Usagi sat there for a long moment and tried to come to grips with what just happened. Whatever it was, she was eternally grateful. Joy filled her heart once more. She looked around and found herself in a strange part of the city. Instead of death and destruction, she saw the weeds bursting through the holes of the concrete and vines covering the toppled structures. Nature persevered. It was here long before humans walked the earth and it would be here long after civilization crumbled to dust.

Usagi slowly climbed to her feet having learned a valuable lesson. There was always hope.

* * *

Review and let me know what you think. The next chapter will be a lot longer.


	24. Second Chances

**Chapter 23**

The Zui arrived 2 days later.

In that time the Z-Senshi had scouted an ideal battleground, far away from Mirai's rebuilding efforts and any possible human encampments. In order to even the playing field, they set traps that would eliminate the weaker of the enemy forces. The women stock-piled food, blankets, and medicine just in case this turned into an all out siege. Bulma put out a message on a low radio frequency, informing any other listeners - if they were out there - to stay hidden, but if they were in trouble to head to Capsule Corp. where there would be food and medicine available. She didn't seem too optimistic about anyone coming. '_People just don't trust that the Andriods have been defeated.'_ No one mentioned the possibility that maybe there was just no one out there.

Through it all, Vegeta had an uneasy feeling that what they were doing wouldn't be enough. The Zui were devious, sneaky opponents who would rather resort to trickery than face-to-face confrontation. What did they have up their sleeves? That unknown was what pricked at his conscience more than anything. He didn't like feeling unprepared for battle.

The dawn of the second day came much too soon for Usagi. She stood with Bulma and Chichi on Capsule Corp's front lawn coming to grips with saying goodbye. This had never happened before. It wasn't like the World's Martial Arts Tournament where she could cheer from the sidelines. This was a 'good luck, hope you don't die' goodbye. She kept trying to tell herself that they were warriors and that this was what they had trained to do their entire lives. Tears kept threatening to spill, but she wouldn't disgrace them by having anything less than complete confidence in their fighting abilities. No matter what she did or said, the rage that sang through their warrior Saiyajin blood wouldn't let them walk away from battle; they ran towards it.

All of the Saiyajins were having a hard time staying still. She could practically feel the restless energy radiating from them. Trunks and Goten were grinning. Years before they had fought and won against Buu and were anxious for another victory. Usagi kept telling herself that she was being too sensitive, but it looked as though Trunks' grin was more like a twisted smirk. He had a hard glint in his eyes.

"I know that look, sis. Don't worry so much. This is going to be so much fun!" Goten gushed while gave her a quick hug. "I'm going to kick Trunks' butt!"

Usagi managed half a smile. "I thought you were fighting the aliens?"

Goten snorted. "Yeah, but we're going to have a competition and see who can kill the most! I'm totally going to win too. I've been working on some new attacks," he confided with a wink.

Trunks scoffed. "Get real, Goten. I'm going to kill so many of them, you won't be able to count that high." He paused, "But, that's not really saying much since you've got the IQ of a first grader."

Usagi rolled her eyes. He was always trying to pick a fight, but she guessed that that was normal under the circumstances since they were about to go and, literally, pick a fight. And win. Kami, she hoped they won. She couldn't bare to think about the alternative. She couldn't lose them.

Trunks pulled her close and inhaled, dragging her scent deep into his memory so that he could take her with him into battle. He pulled back slightly and stared at her. For some reason, he was having a hard time letting her go.

Usagi locked gazes with him, but as the staring went on, she soon became uncomfortable. That hard gaze made her uneasy and self conscious. Finally, she couldn't take it and looked down and away. Maybe that was what he was waiting for.

"Be safe, Usagi. Stay inside the safety of Capsule Corp." She tried not to grit her teeth at another order. He finally let go and turned towards the main group before she decided to issue an order of her own.

"Come back to me Trunks."

He glanced over his shoulder and flashed her a grin.

Usagi tried not to notice how Mirai looked on, as always. They hadn't said a word to each other since the clearing incident, but what more was there to say? She couldn't convince someone who wished they had never met to have hope. Her eyes held all of the things that went unsaid between them, but he quickly turned away dismissing her.

Vegeta had left before dawn to study the battlefield one last time, but she knew that it was his way of avoiding the goodbyes and well-wishes. So, after a quick hug for her older brother and Goku, she joined Bulma and Chichi in waving as they blasted off at super sonic speed. Off to battle an alien force that numbered in the thousands.

They watched in silence as the last of the ki trails faded from the sky. Chichi finally broke the quiet moment. "I think we need a nice, calming cup of tea. That always settles my mind when the boys rush off on their next adventure."

Usagi didn't point out that this 'adventure' had potentially deadly consequences for everyone. The future of the Earth rested on the outcome of this battle. That kind of anxiety wasn't something that a cup of tea would fix, but she shrugged and followed the women inside. She glanced back one last time and sent out a silent prayer to Kami...and strangely to Raseri, the Saiyajin god. She didn't know if she believed everything that they taught her during her time on Planet Vegeta, but if there was one god she wanted watching out for her loved ones it was the Saiyajin god of war and destruction, rage and wrath. '_Oh yeah, those Zui guys are going down.' _

"Usagi, do you want honey in your tea?" Chichi called out from the kitchen.

She poked her head through the door and avoided Chichi's glance. "Uh, no thanks."

Before she had a chance to slip away, Chichi placed two cups of tea on the kitchen table. "Come over and sit down."

There was a long pause as Usagi froze in indecision. The training of her early childhood, warred with her inner wants. She really, really didn't _want _to sit down at the table with this woman, but her training dictated that it would be an unforgivable sin if she defied her command. She gulped and slowly seated herself. How bad could this be?

Chichi noticed her daughter's unease and was about to comment, when Bulma strode confidently into the room, fiddling with a machine. "Okay, so I've linked up the remaining active satellites and have them pointed at the proper coordinates. We'll be able to watch the battle from the convenience of our kitchen. Am I a genius or what?" She made a few adjustments until a projection of the battle appeared on the white-washed wall.

Usagi gulped when she saw exactly how many alien pods were streaking through the atmosphere. It looked like a meteor shower.

Bulma grinned. "Don't look so gloomy. They'll be fine." She let her gaze drift over the spandex-clad form of her husband. "If there is one thing that I've missed since the Andriods is watching my man work. I mean, its not like he charges up and gets all muscular for my benefit. And that sexy smirk of his, ooh!" she shifted in her chair. "It does something to me every time."

Usagi promptly turned beat red. She thought she was going to dissolve into a puddle right there! What was Bulma talking about?

Chichi chastised her friend. "Bulma!"

"What? I know I'm, like, way too old for him now, but he's my husband! I'm allowed to have a few dirty thoughts."

Chichi scowled, "Never mind that, I just can't believe you would say that with Usagi right here. She's way too young to be thinking about things like that."

"Pah-lease. Like I haven't seen her and the other Trunks getting all cozy together."

Usagi's eyes widened. "W-Wha? Trunks and I are just friends!"

Bulma finally realized how uncomfortable she was making the girl. She nearly continued just to see how red a demi-Saiyajin's face could get, for scientific reasons of course, but she took mercy and kept her smirk to herself. Instead she changed the subject. "Mostly I like to watch the battles so that I can give Vegeta hell. I carefully document every mistake he makes so that I can knock his insufferable arrogance down a few pegs next time I see him." All of their past glorious fights came to mind.

She paused, blinking away the wet shimmer that suddenly appeared in her eyes. "I've missed this," she quietly confided.

Chichi gripped her hand. "Its been hard for both of us, having our family back together." She smiled down at Usagi, "With new additions too."

Usagi glanced away, somehow feeling guilty that Chichi thought their relationship was a normal one.

Bulma gulped loudly, her voice shaky. "The real difficulty will be when they all return to the past. I don't know if I'll be able to stand the silence again." She glanced around her kitchen, looking lost, until her eyes returned to the far wall.

"Look! It's started." As one, they turned to study the wall. There was a wild mass of spiky, glowing blond hair; everyone had already powered up to Super Saiyajin.

"What's with all the lights on the horizon?"

Bulma smirked with no small amount of satisfaction. "Just a few surprises that I cooked up."

* * *

BOOM! Another charge was set off sending many of the enemy flying. The Z-Senshi didn't have time to watch the fireworks, however, because they were too busy fighting the more experienced soldiers. Trunks was facing three enemies at once. They dodged and circled each other, ascending into the air at dizzying speeds. When he heard Goten shout, he finally decided to stop playing with them. He shoved his fist deep into one enemy's gut, while firing a ki blast right into the face of the other. Before the first enemy could plummet, he flipped over his back and wrapped his legs around the third enemy's neck. One violent twist later, he was left floating alone, dripping with the blood of his enemies.

The feral grin stretching his face matching his gleaming black eyes. The rage was upon him.

One quick glance, he saw that Goten had finished with his enemies and was flying up to meet him. "I've got 258!"

Trunks didn't answer, he just plunged into the next battalion, leaving nothing but bloody ruins in his wake.

Goku and Vegeta were taking a less physical approach. They were charging massive ki attacks and blasting huge holes in the lines of their enemy's defense. It was frustrating work because as soon as they cleared out one battalion, another moved up to take its place.

"KA-ME-HA-ME-HA!"

Goku let loose the massive ball of concentrated energy and watched as it hurled into the center of the enemy forces. A huge explosion, like an atomic bomb, sent their ranks scattering. For a second. They were already starting to regroup. He floated back and examined the results of his attack, gasping a little for breath. "I don't think this is working."

Vegeta grunted in agreement as he continued to study the battlefield like any good general.

Suddenly the army of Zui ceased its advance. The Z-Senshi pulled back and waited.

"What's going on?" Gohan asked.

Goku scratched his head. "I dunno. I'm thinking we're about to meet one of the more powerful guys. I mean, we've taken out about a third of their army so far. That can't be making them too happy right now."

Vegeta frowned. His uneasy feeling returned. The Zui were never good at the direct approach. '_What are they planning?'_

"Wow, Trunks, you really went all out," Krillen floated back, a little horrified when he realized he couldn't recognize the color of the demi-Saiyajin's gi because it was sopping with blood. Suddenly he was very grateful that he didn't get on the demi-Saiyajin's bad side when he was their principal in elementary school.

Trunks grunted, which left Goten to reply for him. "He's just trying to trick you into thinking he's winning. I've got over 300 now, so there's no way that he's beating me!"

"Look!" Piccolo pointed.

A Zui warrior was slowly descending from the clouds. He looked vaguely humanoid, but had slits for pupils and three rows of sharp pointy teeth when he smiled. He was smiling now. "Greetings, warriors. I see that you're all nicely drained from battle. How does it feel to be outnumbered?"

Goku stepped forward, always the leader. "We know who you are and why you're here. This planet isn't for sale and we're not letting you have it without a fight. So, take your army and go home."

The Zui warrior roared with laughter. His army echoed him.

Mirai scowled. "Did you read his ki level? Its nothing compared to a Super Saiyajin's."

"Saiyajins?" That stopped his laughter. He thoroughly examined the group of glowing warriors until his gaze landed on the Prince of all Saiyajins. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Vegeta. I would recognize that hair anywhere. How are the Ice-jins treating you these days? Do send Freeza my regards." There was something disturbing about that toothy mouth sprouting pleasantries.

"You're stalling." Vegeta came to this conclusion quite suddenly. Why else would the guy be asking so many damn questions? '_Why?'_ His mind frantically reviewed every fact about the enemy and their battle strategies. '_What are they planning? They're not powerful enough to attack head on. Come on Vegeta, think!'_

Goku frowned. "I don't get it. Why is he smiling? Something isn't right."

"Way to state the obvious, Kakarot."

Goten scratched his head and remarked to Trunks. "I dunno. Isn't he supposed to be running or screaming or begging for mercy or...something?"

Trunks eyed his friend with a smirk. "Some people don't cry like you do when you're about to get your ass destroyed."

"I do not cry! Take that back, Trunks!"

Mirai stepped between them before they could square off. "Cut it out you two. This is serious. I think they're planning something, perhaps a sneak attack? An ambush?"

Gohan frowned. "Or could this just be some serious bluffing?"

Vegeta jerked. "No! If you touch what is mine I'll -"

The evil creature chuckled. "Too late."

"No!" Vegeta blasted off. Everyone quickly followed, knowing that whatever would send the Prince of all Saiyajins into a panic was truly grave.

Goku was the only one who was neck in neck with the fierce prince, their sons a few steps behind, the rest of the Z-Senshi trailed even further back. "What's wrong? What's happened? Where are we going?"

Vegeta jerked his head. "They're after the women."

Goku grabbed his arm and attempted to drag him to a halt.

"What the hell are you doing, Kakarot? Didn't you hear me?" he struggled against the other man's hold.

"It'll be faster to teleport."

Vegeta stilled, realizing that panic wasn't letting him think straight. He waited two more seconds for their sons to catch up, before they all placed hands on Goku and teleported to Capsule Corp's front lawn. He prayed they weren't too late.

* * *

Usagi couldn't take her eyes off the 2D Trunks wrecking havoc. For a moment she could trick herself into thinking that she was just watching a really gory movie or video game with characters who looked a lot like her friends, her family. She gulped and watched as he nearly separated an assailant's head from his shoulder with one powerful kick.

Chichi looked nervously at her daughter. "Usagi, maybe you shouldn't watch this. You're probably not used to seeing Trunks er...quite like this."

Usagi's gaze didn't falter. "I've seen him this ruthless before." They were all still seated around the kitchen table, now clutching cold cups of forgotten tea. Watching. The whole morning had been filled with quiet truths and confessions.

Bulma studied the younger girl's face. "When?"

Apparently it was her turn to make a few confessions. Strangely, at this moment, she didn't feel nervous. The three of them all had different experiences, but right now they were sharing something so profound that they were equals in this moment. They're men were out battling for their lives...and they were watching. Helpless to act.

"I died once."

Bulma and Chichi forgot the screen and focused their complete attention on this girl, who would soon be on the verge of being a woman. Chichi frowned. "Gohan didn't tell me that."

Usagi spared her a brief glance before returning her gaze to the screen. "There are a lot of things Gohan didn't tell you. I died and was sent to Planet Vegeta."

Bulma gasped, but didn't interrupt.

"There I met my grandfather," Usagi smiled briefly. "But I also met a warrior named Nappa."

Chichi growled. "I remember him." Bulma shhed her into silence.

"Well...Trunks and Vegeta eventually found me in the afterlife, but before we left Trunks took revenge. Nappa had hurt me, you see, and Trunks doesn't like it when I get hurt. He kind of...lost it. I don't know." She vaguely gestured to the screen. "Like this. He was just like this."

Chichi looked down at her hands, trying to come to grips with this new confession. It was strange to think that even though she was four times Usagi's age, she had no personal experience with death. "What else did Gohan not tell me?" Chichi looked up at the screen and studied her oldest son's profile. She wasn't used to being lied to by her family.

Usagi took a deep breath and considered lying. However, this quiet camaraderie shared between them deserved the truth. She took a deep fortifying breath and, for once, looked Chichi directly in the eyes. "You don't like me. You never liked me. In fact, you actively hate me and have tried to kill me more than a few times. I don't live in the cottage because there is a court order that demands we not be around each other. Vegeta and Bulma are my guardians and have been for a few years now."

Chichi paled. She locked gazes with Usagi. Her mind blanked in shock.

Bulma frowned, already mentally examining the past few days. "That's why you jumped so bad when Chichi hugged you that first day. Everything that Mirai told me makes sense now! He's been wondering about you."

"I don't believe it," Chichi's voice was barely a whisper. She thought back to the family dinner, how Usagi kept examining her food. '_Did I try to poison her?'_ She remembered how pale she got before excusing herself to the bathroom. No one could fake that kind of a reaction. She looked deep into the girl's eyes and found a cold, hard truth staring back. "I don't believe it!" She jumped to her feet and raced out the door.

Bulma was right on her heels. "Chichi, wait! Don't go outside. It's not safe!"

Usagi sat at the table, debating on if she should follow. She didn't know if she would make it worse by being there. After a few minutes of indecision, she dumped her tea in the sink and headed outside.

"Bulma? Chichi?" she called.

No answer.

Laughter echoed across the yard. Usagi glanced up and gasped. A man was floating as high as the mansion and held the limp forms of the two women. He was laughing and Usagi shuddered when she saw the sickening rows of pointy teeth. It was a Zui alien warrior.

"Put them down!"

The laughter stopped. "Oh? What have we here? A straggler." With one great heave, he threw the two women head first towards the roof of the mansion. Usagi watched with horror as the roof caved in and the women disappeared underneath a huge pile of rubble.

"No!" She shouted and would have flown to the rescue, except her inattention cost her the only advantage she had, her speed. A cold steel grip settled around her arm. No matter how hard she tugged and fought, she was well and truly caught.

* * *

The second the Saiyajin group materialized on the front lawn, they stood gaping in horror. Capsule Corp lay in ruins. The roof had caved in leaving nothing but the door frames intact.

"No!" Mirai rushed forward and started digging through the rubble. His whole world was crashing down around him. This couldn't be happening. "Mom!" he screamed, but only silence answered him.

Then there was laughter.

As one, they turned to the enemy nonchalantly floating in the air.

"Usagi!" Trunks lunged forward only to be brought up short when the Zui raised a sword to her neck.

"Ah ah, you stay put."

"You're going to pay for this!" Mirai could barely speak coherently, he was so pissed.

The Zui flashed a cocky grin. "I don't think so. If there is one thing that my people are good at, its doing our homework. We don't just show up and blast people like you worthless Saiyajins," he spat in disgust. "No, we whittle down your defenses and then take away everything you care about until there is nothing left for you to fight for. I'm not sure what relation was between the two women, but we knew that the only defender this planet had to offer lived here with the older female. But, lookie, lookie, I found a little brat here that has a tail. I guess that makes her one of you monkeys right? And with so very few of you left, I'm sure you'll be wanting her safe."

"Put her down!" Trunks demanded, his eyes flashing.

"Oh no, I'm quaking in fear. Is the little purple-haired monkey threatening me? What? Is she your sister? Your little monkey girlfriend? Both?" he cackled.

"What did you do with the other women?" Goku stepped forward, ready to defend his family and his race with as much determination he ever had defending his planet.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Usagi squirmed. "He threw them in the building! They might be trapped."

The Zui rounded on her, "Quiet!" He yanked her arm painfully in retaliation for ruining his fun.

Trunks growled, but kept his eyes trained on the enemy. He was waiting for his chance.

Gohan couldn't take much more of watching his sister's life being threatened. Not again. "What do you want?"

The Zui flashed his pointed teeth. "For all of you to die." He raised his sword and swung it at the girl in his arms, ready to hack her in two.

Trunks lunged, "NO! Usagi!" but he would be there too late. He was going to have to watch her die again.

_Clank!_

Sword met sword. Suddenly there was a dark-haired man surrounded by an eerie golden glow standing between Usagi and the enemy. Before any of the Z-senshi could react, they were swarmed with enemy soldiers who had finally caught up to the action.

Trunks literally ripped through the enemies between him and Usagi. He didn't care about finesse or strategy, he simply tore the enemy down before him. Arms were ripped from bodies, heads were snapped off like twigs. He punched through faces, kicked at vulnerable knees, his fingers gouged out eyes until every movement he made was accompanied by a sickening _crunch_ and an matching shriek. Until finally he emerged on the other side, only to watch as the savior with a sword beheaded the Zui in one quick efficient slice.

"Usagi!" he pulled her close. Trembling because he almost lost her again. The battle still raged behind them so they didn't have time for a celebration. Trunks shoved her behind his back, ready to defend her until his last breath.

Usagi was still in a state of shock. She clutched at Trunks' blood-soaked gi, uncaring that she was now covered in gore. Her gaze kept returning to the stranger in weird armor. He seemed familiar to her somehow.

Vegeta was the one to put an end to the battle. "Galick Gun!" There was a bright flash accompanied by a massive gust of wind. When the dust settled and everyone blinked back their eyesight, not a single body remained of the enemy. Instant vaporization.

Mirai immediately dropped down and pushed frantically at the rubble. "Mom!" Everyone watched in silence. They already knew that it was too late. Mirai only stopped when he pulled one massive boulder away and spotted her blue slippers, the ones she always wore around the house. Quietly, reverently, he pushed away the rest of the rubble to reveal the battered and broken bodies of Bulma and Chichi.

Mirai collapsed to his knees. "Mom, you can't leave me. Not like Gohan did. Mom!" His form trembled. Usagi thought it was from tears and wanted to go comfort him, but her Trunks wouldn't let her get close. She quickly found out why. He wasn't trembling from shock, but from rage.

"NOOO!" his roar echoed across the deserted city. The ground began to shake and loose rocks started levitating. There was a huge explosion of energy that demolished what was left of the Capsule Corp mansion. And still he shrieked his injustice to the heavens.

Usagi turned away, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't bare to listen to his pain. She turned and locked gaze with her Trunks. He was looking her right in the eyes, a remembered pain reflected in their depths. A new horror suddenly dawned. This was how he must have acted when she sacrificed herself all those years ago. She listened to the anguish behind her, felt Mirai reach a whole new power base, but in her mind's eye she saw her Trunks when he was only seven, sitting in the rain, screaming his agony to the heavens.

"They're going to pay!" Mirai streaked off, ready to demolish the enemy single-handedly.

Usagi knew that Mirai's horror was still a blessing. He had someone to blame and a mission of revenge. Her Trunks couldn't channel his rage at the one responsible for her death, there was no enemy to fight, it had been her decision to leave him. "Oh god, Trunks, I'm so sorry."

He yanked her close, so close neither of them could breathe. "It's over and done with, Usa." He gently stroked her hair with blood-crusted hands. "Don't think about it." Still the tears continued to slide down her cheeks. "Just remember your promise to me." '_Don't ever leave me. Ever.'_

Goku motioned for some of the group to follow. "I don't think Mirai is going to need much help, but make sure he doesn't do anything reckless." He finally brought himself to look at the bodies and knew that they would have to be buried with the proper rituals.

"I am truly sorry for your loss." The dark-haired stranger with the sword drew everyone's attention when he spoke. His clear, cultured tones demanded attention and respect. "What has happened today is tragic, but you must go help your friend. No matter how angry and justified in his rage, he is still but one against many. Go, Defenders of Earth. That," he gestured to the severed head at his feet, "was only one General in their army. There is more danger ahead. Leave the princess with me. I promise no harm will come to her."

"Princess?" Goten tore his gaze from his mother's body and glanced around dejectedly. "What princess?"

Before more questions could be asked, Piccolo stepped forward. "Are you the King of Old?"

The stranger, slowly inclined his head.

Piccolo gasped, "So it's true then? The legend, the prophecy?"

The King revealed nothing.

Usagi blinked as the man's identity suddenly became clear. "I know your face." She remembered a vision she had while on Planet Vegeta. The night the full moon rose, she dreamed about another world being utterly obliterated. This man was in her dream. She had died for him. A name kept whispering through her head.

"Endymion?"

The King, alas Endymion, smiled and held his hand out to her. "Indeed."

"Who do you think you are?" Trunks demanded, stepping in front of Usagi before she could touch this guy.

The King chuckled. "You must be the new prince." His smile turned bittersweet. "Destiny has chosen well. You wear the blood of your enemies."

Trunks blinked in confusion. He wasn't used to one of his insulting remarks being met with complements. Just who was this guy anyway?

Goku glanced at his longtime friend. "Piccolo? What do you know about this guy? Can he be trusted?" He really wanted to cut the guy some slack since he just saved his daughter's life, but he couldn't leave her in the hands of a stranger so close to her brush with death.

Piccolo chuckled dryly. "The Earth itself trusts him." Everyone blinked at that cryptic remark.

"I would hurry, warriors. Your friend has just caught up with the enemy. Know that you have my eternal gratitude for protecting this planet. The Earth has known no greater warriors in all her history."

Trunks' fighting blood wouldn't let him miss this battle, but he was still reluctant to leave Usagi alone. Finally she convinced him, saying that she had met the stranger before. He frowned and demanded that she tell him everything upon his return.

When they were finally alone, she voiced a thought that had been running through her mind since she saw him appear before her in a cloud of gold dust. "It was you, a couple of days ago," she accused. "When I was upset, you comforted me."

Endymion inclined his head in assent. "You are too pure a creature to lose hope, Serenity."

Usagi frowned. "You called me that in my vision. My name's Son Usagi. Maybe you have me confused with someone else. I'm no princess either."

He held out his hand for her once more. "Maybe that is your name in this life cycle. Who you truly are is Princess Serenity." As soon as their fingertips touched she felt her clothes melt away to be replaced with the glowing silver dress of her 'transformation'. "A warning, little Serenity, in every lifetime you have experienced great heartbreak and loss. I pray that it will not be so in this reincarnation. Be prepared."

Usagi quickly dismissed this warning because she thought about her mother and her troubled childhood. Surely that was the heartbreak and loss he spoke of.

"We had our second chances – your Inner court and I – but we failed to protect you. We failed twice and fate did not see fit to grant us a third chance. You have found new and hopefully more capable protectors."

"I don't understand."

He smiled softly. "No. I don't suppose this is something you could understand at your young age without your memories intact, but one day I'm sure you will." He studied her for a long moment. "You make a beautiful young woman Serenity. It's only in the life after ours, have I finally been able to see you like this."

He bent forward and placed a warm kiss on her cheek. "I have one last gift."

He stepped away and passed a hand over the fissured earth. The golden fairy dust from before crept up from the ground in a slow-moving fog. Slowly, the golden dust coalesced to form a glowing golden crystal that practically pulsated with power. He motioned for the gaping girl to hold it in her cupped palms.

"This crystal is the power and spirit of the earth. It will grant your heart's greatest desire three times over before returning to its resting place. Use it well." He bowed, fist over his heart and slowly faded into oblivion.

"What? Wait! Come back." Usagi looked around frantically and couldn't find a trace of the king. Soon, the warm glow of the Golden Crystal captured her attention again. '_Okay, my heart's greatest desire, could that mean... a wish?_' Usagi hated riddles. She wished the man could have been a little less fancy in his speech and a little more informative. '_Three times over?...So, I get three wishes?'_ The crystal pulsated twice as if in agreement.

"Okay, three wishes." She eyed the crystal, wondering if she had to rub the side of it first. Did it work like a genie?

The wind made her silken dress sway against her legs and the unfamiliar sensation of silk on flesh detracting her enough to look around. Her home, Capsule Corp. lay in ruins finally matching the rest of the city. Countless people had lost their lives so senselessly because of the evil and cruelty of one man and his creations. The Earth as she knew it was on its last leg. If nothing changed then it would be just as dead and silent as the rest of the planets, as the moon in her vision. Usagi clutched the Golden Crystal tight. She had the power to change this.

Usagi stood like a guardian over the crumbled ruins of a city and contemplated her wishes carefully.

* * *

Everyone floated at a comfortable distance and watched as Mirai cut through the last of the enemy as if he were a hot knife and they butter. His rage was an awe-inspiring sight that drew admiration from his audience. No one commented because they knew that feeling all too well. Vegeta remembered how he felt when he sacrificed himself in an effort to defeat Buu. Goku thought back on the fight with Freeza. Gohan remembered Cell. Trunks and Goten both remembered the day Usagi died.

Occasionally, an enemy would break away from the fight and attempt to run, but well-placed ki blasts vaporized the deserters.

The generals of the army were pathetically easy to beat now that their sneak attack plan had failed. Little did they realize that Saiyajins were a race that thrived on suffering and pain. That alone was what allowed them to tap into their hidden potentials. By attacking the ones they loved, they sealed their fate. Even Goku felt no mercy as, slowly, the ground became littered with the dead and the dying. The bodies were stacked a dozen high. A veritable river of blood streamed downhill to pool into a grotesque lake of blood and meatier chucks.

Finally, Mirai rose high into the clouds, his body crackling with barely suppressed energy. His wordless roar had the enemy forces frozen in fear. Vegeta watched as the future version of his son charged a massive ki blast. It would be over soon.

Goku frowned. "That attack can't get much bigger without jeopardizing the Earth."

"Just watch Dad," Gohan had faith that even though Mirai was in a rage, he had spent his whole life rebuilding and wouldn't risk everything, even for revenge.

A blinding flash of light, a super sonic boom that had all of them backing even further away, and then silence. All that was left of the battlefield was a huge crater that was rapidly filling with ocean water. It was done.

Mirai hung droopingly in the air, his energy spent, his rage was reduced to a weak glimmer. "I've got him," Gohan flew out and looped his shoulder under Mirai's arm before he passed out from energy drain.

Piccolo shifted, "We should return to that King. I have many questions for him."

Goku turned his attention and waved for the group to start heading back. "Who is that guy? I didn't think the earth had kings anymore."

Everyone flew close so that they could hear Piccolo's answer. "As guardians to the Earth, Kami and Dende can only tap into a small fraction of the planet's power. We see that power manifested as the Eternal Dragon. However, occasionally, a planet can birth a son – the King of Old was such a son – who can tap into the entirety of the Earth's energy. Instead of a dragon, there is a crystal. The Crystal is like the Dragon in that it grants wishes, but with the Earth's full power it can grant miracles."

Vegeta perked up. "Miracles?"

Piccolo shot him an apprehensive look. "Don't get any ideas, Saiyajin. Only the King of Old can harness its power. To anyone else it is just a crystal."

They flew in silence, each trapped in their own thoughts until they landed at the ruin that was once Capsule Corp.

Trunks looked around, "Usagi?"

"Here!" She waved and made her way over to the group.

Everyone stopped and stared when they realized that she was dressed in an elegant gown that glowed brighter with each step she took. Trunks smirked. He really liked that dress. Krillen was the first to recover, "Wow, Usagi. Check out that getup, you look like Victorian era royalty."

Usagi smiled, "If you the the dress is cool..." she concentrated and nearly laughed when they all gasped at the sight of the real wings materializing behind her. Sure, the Saiyajins had seen this outfit when they were in the Next Dimension, but she forgot the others had never seen her like this.

Piccolo still hadn't recovered. He fell to his knees, sputtering about prophecies.

Mirai alone paid no attention. He limped his way over to the body of his mother and collapsed when he realized that the last of his loved ones was gone. His mother was his rock, the only constant in his life. No matter how depressed and disillusioned he got with his life, she was always there with a warm smile and a stern voice, talking some sense into him. Now, he just felt desolate. There was nothing left for him to live for.

Vegeta looked on grimly. "We better take care of the women before we head back to the past." A few of the Z-Senshi stepped forward to help, but Usagi's voice stopped them.

"Is the threat over? The Zui are dead?"

Gohan nodded. "Yeah, little sis, they're gone."

"Good." She cupped something that glowed golden light between her palms. "I have my first wish..."

The pulsating glow in her hands got brighter and faster until it consumed her whole body in a golden light. She was lifted off the ground, almost in a trance, before the light shot out from her raised hands and raced across the Earth. A few moments later she growled out from inside the golden bubble, "Who the hell blasted a crater in the side of the continent? I knew I couldn't trust you guys to keep everything intact. Thank Kami I decided to wait until the fighting was over," she continued to mumble to herself.

Everyone was struck dumb when small shoots and leaves started popping up from the soil. It was like watching a time lapse. The shoots and small plants grew to full size in a matter of moments, until the entire city was covered in trees, bushes and flowers of all kinds. In the back of her mind she saw the wooded clearing of Mirai's inner sanctum slowly reknit itself until it stood whole and untouched by his wrath.

Piccolo sputtered, "This is happening all over the world!" He could feel the deserts recede and the forests bloom with life. The oceans were purified of all toxins, the very air seemed sweeter. "She's healing the Earth."

Goku stared at his daughter in delight. "Usagi, I didn't know you could do this! I didn't even know you had powers."

She lowered her trembling arms and smiled at Goku. "It's not me," she opened her palm so that everyone could see the Golden Crystal that she held. She glanced around and attempted to memorize everyone's shocked expressions. This was priceless! Vegeta's face was probably the most unusual; he was staring at her as if he had never seen her before.

"Miracles..." he mumbled to himself. "Taresa?" His whispered question was snatched by the wind.

Mirai glanced around, but couldn't dredge up any feelings. A few days ago this would have been a cause of celebration, but now he couldn't even muster a smile. "What's the point?" he spat bitterly. "No one's alive to enjoy it."

"You are quite right, Mirai. What good is a planet if there is no one to appreciate it?" Usagi slowly gathered her strength. "My second wish..." she thought with all of her heart. The Crystal's brilliance became so intense that even Usagi had to look away. For one moment, the entire Earth lit up like a small star.

The noise reached them first. There were hundreds of voices all mingled and murmuring from the city below. Mirai shot to his feet and stared in wonder at the returned citizens. He reached out with his senses and choked out a cry when he felt nearly 7 billion ki signatures all over the world. He couldn't stop trembling. This truly was a miracle. "T-The humans...they've returned from the Next Dimension." He rounded on Usagi and froze when he caught sight of who emerged from the woods behind her.

"Masaka..." '_No way...it wasn't possible_.'

A gloved hand pushed away an overhanging branch revealing the scowling face of a man dressed in blue spandex and armor. There was rustling from the forest edge until, slowly, the Z-Senshi of the future emerged, confused about how they got there. Mirai couldn't tear his gaze from his reincarnated father until he heard a small cough. The breath left him in a huge _whoosh _when he saw the Gohan he knew standing in all of his one-armed glory.

"Trunks, what's going on?"

Mirai wasn't ashamed when tears spilled freely down his cheeks.

A small hand touched his friend's shoulder. "Give him a minute Gohan, he just saw us die earlier today," Chichi gently chided from his side.

The warriors from the past slowly sized up their future selves.

Piccolo from the future was the first to break the silent staring contests. "How is this even possible?"

His past self answered him, "By the power of the King of Old. The very Earth wished for your continued existence."

"If the Old King was here then does that mean...?" he trailed off hopefully.

Piccolo motioned to Usagi, still dressed in her princess garb.

"Great Kais!" he breathed. Then he noticed her tail. "A Saiyajin?" he backed up in denial and promptly tripped over his feet.

Piccolo watched his future self with great amusement.

Goku had other topics to discuss. "Do me a favor, please." Goku knew that he was never one for articulation and fancy words. He just hoped that his future self would listen, just this once. "Don't leave for more training. It's not as important as your family. You need to stay and learn how to be a better father." He waited for his other self to nod his agreement before breathing a sigh of relief.

Krillen from the future caught sight of his past self's full head of hair. "Looking stylish!" They laughed together.

Gohan stared at his future self and felt self conscious. Here was a true warrior who fought for what was right, not what was easy. True leadership, confidence, and determination radiated from his countenance. Gohan stood up straighter. That just meant he had a lot of work ahead of him. One day, he vowed, he would be just like this Gohan.

Vegeta eyed his future self critically. '_Look at how scrawny I used to be.'_ Maybe he was the only one who found it odd that since they had died years before all of the Z-Senshi from the past were now physically older than their future counterparts.

Bulma tried to keep from laughing when she realized her two husbands were both standing with their arms folded across their chests and identical cross expressions on their faces. They hadn't changed a bit. She sent a silent prayer of thanks to whomever was listening.

Vegeta from the future finally broke the silence. "Just how strong are we?"

Vegeta smirked. The next blink he flashed to Super Saiyajin, then to the second level and still his power kept skyrocketing. Over the roar of energy, he noticed that his future self was laughing in dark delight.

"Oh, I can't wait..."

Usagi hung back with her younger brother and watched the happy reunions with a gentle smile. Goten and her Trunks were supporting her, since she was having a hard time staying on her feet after conducting that amount of energy. Her muscles were trembling, but it was worth it seeing Mirai happy for once. She watched when he grabbed his mother and twirled her around in circles while chatting happily with his Gohan.

"Can you guys take me over there?"

Trunks frowned. "Don't you think you're already weak enough? You need to recover before you start using more ki."

Usagi waved off his concern. "Its not ki...its, I don't know, some other power. The crystal is doing all of the work." He still refused to budge. "Please, Trunks."

Trunks felt a small bubble of happiness that she was begging him for something. He tightened his grip around her and nodded to Goten. They kept pace as she slowly placed one foot in front of the other and crossed to the forest's edge.

Everyone quieted when the trio drew close.

She looked first at this new Gohan, studying the differences. His face was harsher, commanding and yet open and friendly. She knew that this was the brother that would have been.

Gohan shifted uncomfortably. "Are you an angel?"

Usagi slowly shook her head. "No." She let go of Goten, leaning her whole weight in Trunks' arms, and reached up to trace the man's shoulder.

Trunks knew what the silvery glow around her fingers meant. "Usa..."

She ignored him and trailed her fingers down to the stump that was left of her brother's arm. Gohan gasped when he felt a power unlike any in his experience flow through his body. He closed his eyes and let the peaceful energy settle his spirit. There had been too little peace in his existence. When the power left him, he blinked open his eyes and glanced down. Shock. Two hands. Two arms. He traced his palm with trembling fingers and flexed his fingers. All ten of them. He was whole again. "Thank you."

She nodded, face pale.

Trunks growled, "Damn it Usagi! I told you not to use more energy. Now, you can't even stand by yourself." Effortlessly, he bent down and scooped her legs out from under her. He cradled her close. "What if an enemy attacked right now? You wouldn't even be able to run to safety!"

"I know Trunks. You're right." Usagi simply nodded and agreed with everything he said. Maybe it would save her a headache.

She turned her attention to Mirai. "I still have one more wish and I want you to have it, Mirai."

He immediately shook his head, "No. You've given me my life back." He laughed, "Hell, you've given me my whole world back. I'm not about to take this last wish from you as well."

She sighed, "You've suffered as no one is meant to suffer." She saw his stubborn expression and sighed before turning her attention back to her Trunks. Her let her head rest comfortably on his shoulder as she slowly studied his profile. Even with his clenched jaw and his matted hair that looked brown with dried blood, she thought he was beautiful. "It seems that I can't stand you suffering, no matter what the time line."

At her words, Trunks glanced down and knew that she was doing this for him. There was no way she could take back the pain she had caused him by sacrificing herself, but there was something she could do for his future self. A funny feeling ballooned in his chest. He tightened his grip.

Mirai watched as she cuddled close to his past self and had an insane idea. "Do you think you will be born in this time Usagi?"

"I don't know, but I don't see why not." She shrugged helplessly, "I'm new at this too."

Mirai looked at how tightly Chichi was hugging Goku and had a good feeling. "Could you give me a second chance?"

Usagi cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Make me a baby again. I want to grow up with both my parents and have a chance to meet you," he grinned, "and boss around Goten."

"Hey!" Goten shouted indignantly.

Finally she understood why he watched them all the time. It was in envy. "Okay. I'll wish for second chances." She turned to Gohan, "What about you?"

Gohan shook his head rather emphatically. "Oh no, I'm good. There is not enough money in the world that could tempt me to go through puberty again. I've had quite a few hard lessons so far that I don't really care to repeat. Once was enough. Thanks, but no thanks." He actually shuddered at the very idea.

Bulma approached. "Usagi, I want you to know that humanity isn't going to squander its second chance. Not if I have anything to do about it. You've given us a chance to start over from scratch and do it right this time." She was already thinking about how to mass produce alternate forms of energy that would keep the skies clear and the rivers clean.

Goku discreetly cleared his throat. It was time to leave. The threat was over, the world was set to rights, and he was anxious to get home. He already donned the black headband that would allow them to teleport to the past.

"Good bye Usagi. Thank you for everything. I don't -" Mirai stopped. "Well, hopefully I'll see you again soon."

Usagi hugged him back. "I could never stand to see you sad, Trunks. So, be happy for me, okay?"

Mirai glanced back at his waiting family and friends. "Somehow, I don't think that's going to be very hard."

Before she could raise the crystal and make her final wish, Trunks stopped her. "I don't think so. You've used too much energy today as it is. I'm not about to let you pass out from energy loss. Mirai can wait a day or two before he turns into a snot-nosed crap machine."

Usagi briefly contemplated yanking his hair for the "let" comment. '_Just who does he think he is anyway?'_ The she remembered. He was the prince. She sighed.

Goku solved the problem for her. "Don't worry so much Trunks. We've got sensu beans in the past. She'll be fine. We should return before we alter this time too much."

Usagi felt Trunks tense, ready to launch into a yelling match, but before he could utter one word she already whispered her wish. Through the blazing warm glow she saw the age lines and gray hair fade from Bulma's and Chichi's face. Right before she lost consciousness she saw Mirai's form slowly shrink until all that could be seen from the huge swaths of clothes was a bright fuzz of lavender and waving chubby arms.

* * *

Review and tell me what you think! One of the reasons this came out so quickly is because I was inspired by your words. I also couldn't help putting the environmental comments. Go Green! :) Also, the Zui are purely my imagination. I thought it would be interesting for the Z-Senshi to fight enemies that were more tricky and less "he-man beat chest". Let me know how you liked the action scenes, 'cause I'm not sure if they were good enough. Props to Jay for guessing correctly. Failisse, your review made me smile, so here's the next chapter so you can get through finals. SachiNyoko, their relationship is supposed to be a little scary, and its only going to get worse in Part 2. Mian-Mian, I'm glad you feel that connected to this story. Trust me, there's more emotional scenes coming. Review, review, review!


	25. Camping

**Chapter 24**

"Woohoo! Cannon ball!" Goten shouted before diving into the sparking clear waters of the giant river and completely drenching the campsite and everyone in it.

"Damn it, Goten! I don't want to play any games. I've had enough of water today," Trunks stood at the river's edge searching for any sign of his friend. His shirt was history and had been since his morning spar, but his jeans were now gritty feeling and uncomfortable. '_These are my favorite pair!'_ Goten was going to pay...he just had to find him first. Before he could continue mentally abusing his friend, a dripping hand broke the water's surface, grabbed his ankle and swept him down and under.

"GAK!" _Gurgle_. "Damn it Goten!" he sputtered. It seemed to be his new favorite phrase.

Usagi giggled from the shoreline.

Vegeta stepped out of the cave and scowled at all the racket. "If they have enough energy for this, then we didn't work them hard enough."

"Nah, they're just boys playing around." Goku smiled when he saw them start dunking each other. "I just hope neither of them drown."

Vegeta grunted noncommittally and watched with no small amount of satisfaction when Trunks got fed up with the wrestling and started throwing watery punches.

Together, the two full-blooded Saiyajins made their way down to the shoreline to start a fire. The morning had been filled with training and the afternoon filled with fishing. At first Vegeta thought that the pathetic human pastime of fishing was going to be child's play, but he quickly changed his opinion when he caught sight of the size of the fish. Somehow he never envisioned that fish could be bigger than a man and so damn slippery. They used no poles, no lures, and no lines; just brute strength, speed, and cunning – Fishing, Saiyajin style.

"Usagi," Goku called out, drawing her attention away from the water, "You want to learn how to gut a fish this size?"

Usagi remembered his story about his monster fish and his grandfather and smiled. "Sure."

Her mind started to wander when he went on about scaling and gills. He picked up a wicked-looking knife the size of a sword and started cutting a straight line up its belly. Usagi swallowed apprehensively and searched for something else to occupy her thoughts. Seeing fish guts might ruin the day.

Every few weeks or so, Goku would want to spend some time together. This time they decided on a camping trip. He somehow dragged Vegeta away from the Gravity room and convinced him that fishing was a manly sport that they should try. It had been a perfect day. The sky was a clear robins egg blue without a cloud in sight, there was a warm breeze that wafted through the forest bringing smells of pine and damp earth, and the river was filled to the brim with every type of fish. Most of the smaller fishes were practically suicidal, trying to hop in their hands or even on shore, but Goku didn't want to waste their time on such puny fare.

All five of them – Gohan couldn't make it since he was finishing up his exams in college – stalked the river's edge, waiting for the giant fish's shadow to darken the water surface. Goku warned them to be silent since the vibrations of their voices could echo off the water and scare the game. Their patience was eventually rewarded. As one, they dove into the cold, rushing water and started the chase. Usagi was surprised by how agile the creature was, having thought previously that something that size would be clumsy and slow. On the contrary, it led them a merry chase through miles of river water. At one point the fish hid inside an underwater cave that was too dark for them to see. She thought that it had won, but then Goku sent a tiny ki blast into the ground outside the cave that startled the fish enough to start swimming again.

They didn't achieve victory until they had it cornered outside an inlet in the shallower part of the river, downstream. Then the wrestling started. Just because the fish was cornered, didn't mean it was giving up without a fight. Little did it know that Saiyajins thrived on a good fight. Goten was the first to jump. He landed on the fish's back and had to hold on for dear life as he was thrashed this way and that. Usagi thought it looked like marine bronco riding. He lasted about ten seconds before being bucked off and into the air.

Vegeta was next. He let out a mighty Saiyajin roar and charged. The prince made the fatal mistake of forgetting the fish had a tail. A very big one. Before he could even get close, he was swept off his feet and back under the water.

Trunks motioned for her to distract it, so Usagi swam to the fish's other side and started slapping at the water and yelling. Instead of the direct approach, he tried to be smart and attack it from below while it was distracted. This might have even worked. Trunks had a death grip around the creature's middle. However, grappling with a person was vastly different than grappling with a fish. They're very slippery. With one fierce jerk and a wiggle, the beast slid free.

Everyone retreated to where Goku swam watching with a proud smile on his face.

"Well, Kakarot," Vegeta growled, "How do we defeat this bloody beast? I say we just ki blast it into oblivion!"

Goku laughed, "No 'cause then we wouldn't have any dinner."

"Sure we would. It would just be extra crispy."

Goku made a face, "Yuck." He studied all of their water-logged, weary faces. "I've tried every single one of those techniques before and failed every time."

"So, what works Dad?" Goten was eager to know.

They all hung back and watched the master fisherman at work. Goku slowly swam up in front of the fish's face. The creature kept turning this way and that to stare at the newest threat with both of its glassy eyes. Goku treaded water in silence, letting the fish take his measure. Then, without warning, he slammed a massive fist right into its nose and sent it soaring onto the shore. Quick as a flash he was out of the water and wrestling with its writhing mass. "Quick guys, help me! We can't let it get back to the water!"

Everyone just stood there, gaping. That was his great technique? Brute force? Vegeta rolled his eyes, but did admit, rather grudgingly, that it had worked. Within moments, Goku had the lifeless body slung haphazardly over one shoulder and they were trekking back to their campsite.

Today was a day to remember.

Finally the smell of roasting fish tempted the boys from the water. Trunks and Goten sloshed passed the camp fire and into the cave to change clothes for the second time. Usagi huddled close to the fire, letting it bath her in warmth and light. The sun had already set and the temperature was steadily dropping.

Goku had disappeared into the forest for a half hour only to emerge with a handful of greenery and a flat rock. "Can't have meat without seasoning." He finely ground the herbs and sprinkled them over both sides of the fish while adjusting it over the flames.

Trunks plopped down next to her, still shirtless, and pulled her closer. "When are we going to eat? I'm starved."

At his question, all five of their stomachs started growling. Usagi laughed.

The fish was surprisingly delicious. There was a perfect balance of flavor and spice and it was so tender that it seemed to melt in their mouths. After a mere half hour, the fish disappeared and five Saiyajins lounged, temporarily paralyzed with a food coma.

At Trunks' urging, Usagi lay her head in his lap and stared up at the stars. Since they were so far from civilization, there was no light pollution to hide the night sky. The milky way divided the night sky and seemed to stretch on forever. Trunks' fingers were combing through her hair, lulling her into a light doze. She snuggled closer and breathed in the distinctive scent that clung to all Saiyajin skin. At first she was startled to find out that her race had a special smell, but she quickly found it comforting. If she was close enough to a Saiyajin that she could distinguish his scent, then she was better protected than someone who had an army at their beck and call.

After a moment, when she was about to retire to the cave for much needed sleep, she sensed something lying beneath the comforting scent, something sharp and tangy. Closing her eyes, Usagi concentrated and buried deeper against Trunks's stomach. It was just out of reach. Like some sea creature lurking just beneath the ocean surface, only a shadow against the water.

Subconsciously, she relinquished all her weight and lay completely against her friend. Unbeknownst to Usagi, her own scent slowly morphed into something different, something exotic. It lazily wafted up to breathe against Trunks' face. Sensing her vulnerability and her complete trust, his scent rose above the Saiyajin smell like some beast lunging forward, sensing easy prey.

"U-Usagi?" Trunks asked in confusion. Something was happening to him. He could feel something bubbling up inside. Something dark, almost evil. "Usagi!" he whispered fiercely, panicked.

Usagi lay beyond words. She was engulfed in this ancient power, such power that laced his very blood. Blood. The Rage of the royal bloodline. It lay here. _Raseri. _Unknowingly, she had teased the beast awake. '_No, not awake. Not yet.'_ She could feel that it still lay dormant, in hibernation, locked away until something more significant triggered its awakening. Somehow, she felt as though she were only sensing a fragment of its true force, a grain of sand on an ocean beach, a single star in the heavens. As soon as she thought that, she knew that this power was beyond anything she would ever encounter. She knew, and she feared. This wasn't Trunks. This wasn't her best friend. This was something vicious, something ruthless.

"Usagi!" Trunks yelled as he felt this relentless heat curl inside of him. It wanted out. It wanted to attack something. To kill. To win. '_Not Usa. I won't let you. Not Usa,' _Trunks repeated like a mantra. He pulled her closer, impossibly close, and buried his face in her hair. '_Usa . . .'_ Her scent lazily drifted upward, magically sweet and innocent again, and soothed the wild thing trapped inside him. The power which had wanted to rip and tear and maim, now paused to sniff and pace.

"T-Trunks," Usagi croaked out hesitantly. "What's happening?"

He gritted his teeth as the sound of her voice caused something to writhe deep within him. "I don't know," he whispered, gasping painfully. Some unknown barrier kept the animal caged, but it was still there. Still wanting out. Still waiting.

"Trunks?" He had retreated somewhere deep inside. As his name dropped from her lips, she watched his face grow dark with some emotion. She had a sneaking suspicion that whatever was inside him was about to appear, and she didn't want to be this close to something so violent. Usagi tried to jerk away from him, but his hold was too tight. Before she could call for help, his arms tensed and squeezed the breath from her body. She gasped out a squeak.

Fortunately, that was all that was needed to tear Goten's attention from the adults' verbal sparring. Vegeta and Goku had started arguing, as usual. He just glanced over, intending to return his attention to the loud fight, when he noticed how pale his sister appeared and how still she held herself.

"Dad!" he hoped that they weren't too far-gone in their debate to hear him. "Usagi and Trunks. Something is wrong!"

He knelt down next to his friends and tried to pull Usagi free. An eerie red haze began to drift up from the ground to surround them. Goten was about to grab Trunks arm when someone yanked him up and away from the seated pair.

"Stupid brat," Vegeta mumbled as he threw the young boy to his father. The Saiyajin prince stared down at the couple with a scowl permanently etched on his face. "What is this?" he murmured to himself in thought. There was something familiar about the pulsating red glow. He held out his hand, as if to blast the two, and let the blood red energy drift across his open palm. Some similar energy answered from deep within him.

Vegeta eyes widened in shock before he nodded with satisfaction. "So, its started. About time."

Goku studied his friend's face and knew that if the prince found it shocking then something was truly wrong. "What's happening?"

Vegeta shook his head and didn't answer. "Brat! Let go of her; you're hurting her."

Usagi took a few small breaths. "He can't hear you." Before she could finish, Trunks's eyes snapped open. Usagi stared in shock. His eyes were no longer the ice blue that could pierce the secrets of one's soul. No, these were a blue so dark that they were nearly black.

"T-Trunks?" she whispered hesitantly. What was happening to him? She watched his lips peel back to reveal bared teeth, a mockery of a smile.

"Brat, shut up. Don't speak. You'll draw his attention." Vegeta started to pace. "What to do...shit, I don't remember."

"What's wrong with Trunks? What don't you remember?" Goku demanded, worried for his friend's son.

Vegeta whirled. "The power of his birthright is awakening. It starts at the onset of puberty, but..." he trailed off. "This is a little too intense, even for a one of the royal line. Something is triggering this extreme aggression." His gaze fell to Usagi. '_If she were going through the change as well...' _"What did you do, brat?"

Usagi didn't dare break eye contact with the dark gaze. Her eyes were burning with the need to blink. Somehow, she knew that any sudden moves on her part would result in violence, and she already had enough violence in her life. What happened to Trunks? Where was her friend?

"I didn't do anything!" Usagi exclaimed when she finally heard Vegeta's accusation. As if it were her fault that Trunks was acting weird. '_It wasn't, was it?_'

Again, the thing that was Trunks responded to her voice. A low sound somewhere between a beast's growl and a demon's scream emitted from her friend. It was the last straw before Usagi freaked. She knew better than to speak again. He obviously was too consumed by the mentality of the beast to understand mere words. Regardless that Trunks was far stronger than her physically, she frantically struggled to loosen his grasp. If he would just let up for a moment, she might be able to slip free and outrun him.

"Listen carefully, brat. The more you fight, the longer his beast will fight back. Just relax and persuade it to return into hiding," Vegeta suggested, hoping that it would work. Nothing like this had ever happened that he could remember.

Usagi stilled, which allowed Trunks to pull her back against him. She couldn't speak, so she shook her head instead. Trunks had pulled her so close that she didn't have to worry about keeping eye contact. Her frantic expression centered on Vegeta, her only hope.

"I don't know why he's acting like this. There's nothing I can do. The brat's beast would force him to fight me to the death, and I'm not willing to do that. You are the one who's going to have to fix this problem," Vegeta spoke calmly, with only a hint of exasperation.

Trunks could sense her growing tension and turned to glare at the object of her discomfort. It wasn't his father that he saw; it was some nameless foe that was nothing more in his mind than a passing victory.

Goku gaped. "Wow. That is quite a glare. So, what's going on again?"

Vegeta sighed. He was surrounded by idiots. "Kakarot, when you were about his age, do you remember feeling different? More aggressive? Did you have less impulse control?" Vegeta stopped and sneered at his rival. "You may not have had any to begin with."

Goku thought back to the days when he went out battling monsters, searching for the Dragon Balls, and fighting in tournaments. He remembered the burning bloodlust that drove him to fight longer, harder, until he usually passed out from exhaustion. Slowly, he nodded. Sometimes it was so fierce that it overrode all reason, like a beast, the bloodlust appealed to his baser instincts. It had landed him in many tight spots, until eventually he learned to curb the darker desires and tame the intense power. Now he understood.

Usagi forgot her glaring contest with the holier-than-thou Saiyajin prince when she felt Trunks tense to attack. She grew up around fighters; she knew when they were thinking aggressive thoughts and were about to take a situation into the physical. She wasn't really sure what she was supposed to do, but calming him seemed to be the most obvious choice. Now, how to do that without talking? Always before, she had appealed to his sensible side. As she stared into the almost black eyes, she wasn't really sure this thing had a reasonable side.

Slowly, with gritted teeth, she forced herself to relax. Her getting upset and sending the wrong signals would just cause the situation to get out of hand. This animal in her friend's body was obviously trying to protect her. First things first, he needed to stop glaring at everyone else and pay attention to her; she could hardly calm him if he was ignoring her. Usagi gulped before placing her hand on his far cheek and turned his face back to her. She was half expecting to pull away a bloody nub. Okay, looking into the glassy black eyes didn't seem like much of an improvement. Well, at least he wasn't making anymore of those warning sounds.

Her eyes drifted over his familiar features. Trunks was in there somewhere. He had to be, and Vegeta said that it was her job to pull him out. She was considered the goddess Taresa by some; surely she could do this. She had to do this. Her small hand drifted down the side of his face, brushed across his neck, and traced the line of his shoulder. She laced her fingers with his to let him know that they were connected, always. With her other hand, she ran her fingers through his silky hair. It always amazed her how soft this warrior's hair was. It must be good genes or something.

Since she couldn't talk, at least coherently, she murmured soft, comforting sounds more from instinct than actual memory. She felt Trunks' body start vibrating, as if some battle of wills was being fought inside. Slowly, the black-eyed beast lowered his head until it rested on her shoulder. Usagi tensed as he tightly wrapped his body around her but didn't stop stroking his hair and whispering soothing things to him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Vegeta tense and curse softly when his son snuggled closer and buried his face against her neck.

_'Come on, Trunks. Come back to me.' _

"U-Usagi?" She felt the words against her neck more than heard them. Elation shot through her as she nearly sagged with relief. "What's going on? What happened?" he continued.

Her shaky laugh hardly reassured him, but her steady fingers continued to tunnel through his hair. "I think your Saiyajin half made a brief appearance."

"Huh." Trunks didn't feel like moving from her embrace. Something important had just happened to him. His heart was thundering, his muscles twitching with adrenaline.

"Brat?"

Trunks turned on Usagi's shoulder so that he could once again study his father with his ice blue gaze. His father was moving and speaking very carefully. Something was up. "Yeah?" he whispered back.

"Brat, I want you to come over here right now." Vegeta tried to sound forceful, but he knew that if his order was too autocratic then the beast might rise again.

Trunks was confused. He was comfortable right where he was. Unconsciously his grip on Usagi tightened. "Why?"

Vegeta spared a glance for Usagi before returning his attention to his son. He had to get him away from her. "Because I said so."

Usagi rolled her eyes at Vegeta. The man didn't know how to be friendly even to avoid a fight. She could tell that he was worried about her, and if he was then something told her she should be terrified. Apparently, he needed some help. "Trunks?" She brought his attention back to her.

Trunks buried his face against her neck again. "Yeah?"

"Maybe you should go see what your Dad wants. He probably knows what happened," she tried to sound reasonable.

Trunks tensed, sensing she wanted to get rid of him. He frowned. That wasn't going to happen anytime soon. "Dad can tell me what he wants without me moving."

Usagi frowned. Okay, he was going to be stubborn about this. If he didn't want to listen to reason, she would just prick his pride a little. "Trunks, I never thought you were a lazy person."

Trunks pulled back in shock. "I'm not lazy."

Usagi grinned when she saw that his eyes were their usual ice blue color. She snorted. "No, of course not. You just aren't willing to walk a few steps to see what your dad wants."

He frowned. "I don't want to go."

"Because you're lazy," she provided helpfully. She continued with great sarcasm. "The great Saiyajin race has finally reached its downfall. The royalty isn't willing to even walk, much less fight. Sooner or later, you're going to want the rest of us peons to carry you around on a little throne wherever you go. We'll fan you with big leaves so you won't sweat. Kami forbid a Saiyajin prince should sweat like the rest of us mere mortals."

Trunks growled in annoyance. "I'm not lazy!"

She simply raised a derisive eyebrow and waited. For once, he was the one who lost the staring contest. With great reluctance and an over exaggerated sigh, he slowly pulled away. Usagi tried to ignore his fingertips as they gently brushed against the small of her back before releasing her completely. Chills raced up her spine. '_What is this feeling?'_

He shuffled to the other side of the fire and sulked.

Goten took Trunks' place next to his sister and slung his arm over her shoulder, pulling her into a reassuring half hug. He never thought he would see the day that he might have to protect her from Trunks. She clung to him, grateful for the added warmth.

Vegeta just glanced between the two sides of the fire deep in thought. By the time everyone was seated, he came to a decision.

"So, Dad," Trunks grudgingly started when he finished with his sulk. "What happened?"

Instead of answering, Vegeta asked another question. "What do you brats know about rites of passage?"

Everyone, including Goku, blinked up at him stupidly. "A what?" "Huh?"

Vegeta gritted his teeth. Of course this couldn't be easy. "There are traditions in Saiyajin culture that stretch back to the beginning, when Raseri walked the mortal realm. These traditions marked the passing of children into adulthood. I suppose other cultures have similar traditions," he dismissed them with an arrogant wave, "But, to Saiyajins they are a sacred ancient rite."

Everyone sat forward, eager to hear more about their forgotten culture. It wasn't often Vegeta was so free with information, at least not in a group setting.

"First a brat has to start showing physical changes." He pointed to his son, "In male brats its a manifestation of the rage in our blood. You're feeling more aggressive, territorial, and ruthless." He paused, not sure how much to share. There were strict rules about what the brats can be told before the rituals. "In royal brats, this is magnified." '_Still,'_ he thought, '_I have never heard of something like that, a sentient beast of rage and wrath.'_ He recalled the dark red glow before mentally filing away his observations for later.

Trunks looked shocked that his father was naming everything he was feeling lately. "That's exactly what I'm feeling." He cut a quick look at Usagi.

"In female brats," he turned his attention to Usagi, "it's a change in scent. This change is designed to attract unattached males who are not a direct relation."

Usagi blushed, wondering what she would smell like. '_I hope its not like dirty socks or something gross.'_

"When brats start showing these changes, then they begin their journey into adulthood by undergoing certain rituals. For male brats, they must first undergo a full day and night of meditation, reflecting on what it means to be a man, a warrior," he looked to his son, "and a prince. After that, the brat is turned out into the wilderness with nothing. He must prove that he is self sufficient and can survive a full lunar cycle with only his wits and his skills at his disposal. He is to use no ki for an entire month," Vegeta grinned, "Because that would make it too easy. He will catch his own food and make his own clothes."

Goku scratched his head, "But, Vegeta, Earth doesn't have a moon anymore."

Vegeta shrugged. "The Earth's moon ran on a 28 day cycle? So, the boy will have to keep track himself. He should be lucky that we aren't back on Vegeta-sei, the lunar cycle is much, much longer.

"When the brat returns he is to be presented with a final test. If he passes, then he will be considered an adult in a Saiyajin's eyes."

"What test, father?" Trunks asked, feeling the need to be formal.

Vegeta smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Trunks rolled his eyes. Trust his dad to make everything as hard as possible. "Is it multiple choice? 20 questions? Will I need to bring a No. 2 pencil?" he continued just to be annoying.

Vegeta ignored him. "For the female brats, its a little different. They are secluded from the outside world for a full lunar cycle. During this time only females can have contact with them. The women are supposed to teach the brat what is expected of a Saiyajin woman and ... other stuff. I don't really know what all they talk about." He shrugged. "After the seclusion, she enters a period of silence. She bathes under the starlight in a body of water and uses sand to wash away the last visages of childhood. Then she climbs to the top of a cliff and waits." '_Letting her scent spread by the wind, advertising her availability to all the eligible males,'_ he finished mentally, already deciding that Usagi didn't need to get spooked with all the little details. "When the sun rises, she starts her first day of womanhood.

"When the brats finish their rites of passage, they will cease being "brats" and will be referred to by their given names or titles."

Goten scratched his head in confusion. "But, you still call Gohan a brat and he's, like, way old and an adult."

"That's because he didn't undergo the rituals. So, he would still be considered a child by Saiyajin standards, which is why he is still a 'brat'."

Goten started grinning. "Okay, I'm in! I'm not passing up an opportunity to call Gohan a brat and get away with it."

Goku grinned at his son's eagerness. "You aren't showing those physical signs yet. Maybe in a couple of months." He reached out and ruffled his hair.

To Usagi everything suddenly made sense. She remembered the camaraderie between Bardock and his crew; there were no condescending put downs, no genuine disrespect. Instead it was a meeting of equals. Sure Orgos and Fausha went at it all the time, but that was harmless teasing. Usagi grinned as she remembered. Personally, she thought they liked each other and didn't know how to admit it.

"What I don't understand," Trunks mused, "Is why you call Goku..er... Kakarot by his name. He didn't under go these rituals, did he?"

Goku perked up, curious as well.

Vegeta studied his son's challenging gaze for a long moment before speaking. "Kakarot, I know that you have meditated before, I've seen you do it. Have you ever survived on your own for any period of time?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Goku smiled, remembering his wilder days. "Where do you think I learned how to catch those fish? My grandpa died when I was young, so I had no one to depend on but myself for quite some time."

"He has killed before. That's also another requirement to enter manhood. As for the last test, he has passed so many already." Vegeta thought back to his first battle with the other Saiyajin, back when he was bent on conquering Earth. "He unlocked the power of the Super Saiyajin. He has fought and died, and did it courageously, ruthlessly, without thought or hesitation. Those are all marks of a true Saiyajin. He has proven himself a man." Vegeta eyed his son. "I dare you to do the same."

Goku stared at the fire and tried not to blush at all the praise he was getting. His prince had never spoken about him like that and he wasn't sure what to say. His gaze flicked up and met Vegeta's dark stare over the flames of the fire. Years before, when Vegeta first came to Earth, Goku never would have imagined he could learn to respect the man and not just the warrior. "Thank you, Prince Vegeta."

Everyone stilled.

Goku had never used his title before. He always strove for Vegeta to think of him as an equal; but, deep in his heart, he was his prince. In the corner of his conscious, there was a predisposition to obey this man and his lineage; an obedience that had been cultivated over generations, bred into his third-class genes. Despite that inclination, Vegeta didn't earn that title just by birth, not in Goku's mind at least. He respected him above all others because he survived and then had the courage to live.

Vegeta slowly inclined his head. Without another word, he turned heel and walked into the cave that was their home for the night.

Watching his prince's retreating back, Goku realized that they were the last full bloods of their race; that was a connection that few would ever understand. It was imperative that they keep these traditions alive. In that moment, he made a vow to follow these rituals to the letter when Goten was ready. Goku turned to the kids. "Alright guys, lets turn in. Its been a long day."

Usagi, Trunks, and Goten all shared a look. They weren't exactly sure what just happened, but they new it was significant. Quietly, they banked the fire and buried the fish remains to keep predators away before heading towards the cave.

Goten made sure that he was between Trunks and Usagi, just in case Trunks decided to get violent again. "That's so cool that you get to go off on your own! No rules, no homework, no washing up before dinner. I wish I was old enough," he pouted.

Trunks shrugged and tried to look at Usagi. She wasn't paying him any attention though. He could tell that she was deep in thought. '_I wish she would tell me what she's thinking.'_ He wasn't sure how she felt about him freaking out on her earlier. At least he knew it wasn't his fault, well, not entirely.

He searched within himself for that strange power. Now, it lay dormant, but he knew that it was barely leashed. He just realized that the magnitude of this rage, this power scared him. How was he ever going to control it? Was he putting Usagi in danger?

Trunks scowled when he saw Goten place his sleeping bag between him and Usagi. On some level he appreciated his friend's desire to guard her, he wasn't about to let anything stand between them.

"Leave it, brat."

Trunks gritted his teeth at his father's command. Now he knew the insult. He wasn't a child!

Vegeta chuckled darkly, guessing at his son's thoughts. "You are until you've finished the rituals."

Briefly, Trunks entertained an insane idea. He thought about challenging his father then and there; but knew that it was just the last remnants of the aggression fueling the thought. He might be angry, but he wasn't stupid. His father would laugh and then wipe the floor with him. He'd be lucky if he could crawl away after challenging his father's authority.

Vegeta grinned as if daring him to try.

The rising tension in the spacious cave finally pulled Usagi from her inner monologue. She glanced between the two and rolled her eyes. '_Jeez, not again. Bulma is right. Guys are impossible.'_ She pretended to shuffle through her pink backpack. "Trunks, can you help me find my toothbrush? I don't know where you packed it."

Two seconds later, he was sitting next to her on her sleeping bag ruffling through one of the pack's pockets. She blinked down at her empty hands in shock. That was fast. Inwardly she smiled. Crisis averted.

Armed with a toothbrush in one hand and a tube of toothpaste in the other, she tried to ignore Trunks as he followed her back down to the river. "So, what do you think about all of this?"

She glanced at him and had to bite back a giggle. He was trying too hard. His hands were in his pockets and he was kicking rocks very nonchalantly, completely avoiding eye contact. She tried for an equally cool tone. "I'm thinking that I'm glad its late spring. Sounds like we'll both be spending more time outdoors."

Her reply had him blinking. She didn't think that was what he was expecting to hear. Trunks let out a strained chuckle.

She bent at the river's edge and rinsed the toothpaste out of her mouth. There was no way she was going to bed with fish breath.

Trunks stood behind her. "I didn't mean to scare you." He ran his fingers through her hair. It shone silver in the starlight.

"Its okay. Now we know why you're feeling this way. I'm glad to know because I was starting to think you were bipolar or something." She chuckled. "Females are supposed to have the mood swings in humans, but it looks like the males get those in Saiyajins."

Trunks let her laugh. He wouldn't call his darker side a mood shift; it was more like a monster, but if she wanted to think of it like that he wasn't going to shatter her delusions. Again, he wasn't stupid.

By the time they returned, everyone had already fallen asleep. Trunks grinned. He pulled his sleeping bag to the other side of Usagi and stretched out in satisfaction. He always got what he wanted.

"Trunks," she started hesitantly. "I don't think..."

"Hush. If I'm going to get kicked out for a month, then I'm getting to sleep here for the night." He wrapped his tail around her thigh and pulled her closer.

She laid down with a quiet sigh and let him have his way. Why did she feel like she was always the one doing the compromising? He draped an arm around her and pulled her back to his front. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in her changing scent. Despite her misgivings, she was grateful for the added warmth that kept the chill of the night at bay. Safe and warm, she slowly drifted to sleep.

* * *

Please Review and let me know what you think. I hope this chapter help explain some things. Review!


	26. Perfect Discipline

**Chapter 25**

Bulma, of course, was furious. "No way. Not going to happen. I would be brought up on child neglect charges so fast that even your Saiyajin speed wouldn't be able to keep up. If you think I'm going to let _my only son_ go romping through the woods half naked to struggle just to stay alive and feed himself, then you can commit yourself right here and now!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes at how dramatic and over the top she was being. Eventually, she had to stop for breath. "Woman, this is an important ritual." He thought that was explanation enough.

"I don't care if this ritual solves the meaning of life and brings about world peace. He. Is. Not. Going." Maybe if she said it in tini tiny words he would understand.

"What, you don't have faith in your son and his abilities?"

Bulma gasped, outraged. "Oh, don't even try pulling a guilt trip. Of course I believe in my son, but that isn't the issue here."

Vegeta crossed his arms. "Then what is?" The faster he figured out her concerns, the faster the argument could end.

"Safety. You forget that I went exploring when I was younger. I know exactly what kind of animals and monsters are out there."

"For gods sake woman! The brat fought an invading alien army and held his own. You, like an idiot female, went out into the world with no training and no skills, and you're still alive. He's more prepared than you ever were."

Bulma leveled a steely glare at her husband and briefly considered castrating him with the knife in the sink-side drawer. Her hand actually twitched once in longing. "A word of advice," her calm voice belied her fury, "you have no chance in hell of winning this argument by calling me an 'idiot female'. It only shows that your maturity level matches that of a six year old. This 'idiot female' survived the wild because she was a genius who had resources – radar, food capsules, transportation. I absolutely refuse to send my only son out there with anything less. So, damn your ritual and damn you if you think I'll fall for this – this farce."

"You don't understand. The brat needs this time to learn control and to prove himself. He won't be considered a man in my culture unless he completes this ritual. Would you deny him that rite?"

Bulma sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose where she could feel the beginnings of a tension headache. "I think it is important for Trunks and Usagi to learn and appreciate their Saiyajin heritage; but, really Vegeta, what's the point? This is a dangerous ritual that you've already admitted people have died from. Why chance his life for no gain? There is no benefit of this ritual outside of bragging rights and education. I don't condone the former and you can simply teach them about the ritual. There is no Saiyajin culture anymore that would look down on them for not following it to the letter. So, again I ask, what is the point?"

Vegeta scowled. "This serves as an emotional stabilizer. It lets him have more confidence in himself as a man and a warrior."

Bulma snorted. "Thanks to your influence he already has a healthy ego and I think that sending a boy to fight for his life, by himself, for a whole month will cause _more_ emotional problems."

"Fine, woman!" Vegeta was tired of arguing with someone who was as stubborn and unyielding as a brick wall. "I'll just have to show you how bad his 'emotional stability' is." Vegeta marched to the phone and, much to Bulma's surprise, dialed the Son's number from memory. She was curious to what he thought a phone call would prove.

"Woman! Get Kakarot on the phone….Kakarot, bring your youngest brat over here….Yes, now. Why the hell else do you think I'm calling?" Before the man on the other line had a chance to answer, Vegeta disconnected the call and tossed the phone haphazardly on the counter. Without even a glance in her direction, he stalked to the house intercom and ordered Usagi and Trunks to report to the kitchen.

Vegeta turned to her at last. "All I want you to do is watch. Watch our son and see what he's dealing with."

Trunks was sweaty, having just come from the training room in the basement. He made a beeline for the refrigerator and was gulping down a bottle of water when Usagi stumbled into the kitchen, half awake and rubbing sleep from her eyes. She blinked a silent greeting before slumping onto a bar stool. "Wuz goin' on?" she slurred around a yawn.

Trunks lounged against the counter empty bottle in hand and shrugged. He didn't look away, even after she laid her head down and started drifting back to sleep. Over the past few days after the camping trip he saw her only a handful of times. Each meeting had been as brief as they could make it. The second she was close those feelings returned with a vengeance, and he was honestly scared that she would get hurt.

Anger was his constant companion. He was angry at these emotions for keeping him away from her. He was angry and frustrated with himself for not being able to control the feelings. On some small level, he was even angry at her for triggering the feelings in the first place. Logically, he knew she wasn't at fault, but he couldn't help how he felt. All of the anger simply fed the feelings, so it was a never-ending cycle that was spiraling out of his control. As a way to cope, he spent most of his waking hours working himself into exhaustion. Staring at Usagi now, he finally understood the horrifying reality. It wasn't helping.

Trunks slowly approached her slumbering form. '_She is asleep,_' the rage within seemed to coax sweetly. '_She never has to know…_' He reached out a hand and gently brushed her bangs back. '_So soft…_'

Vegeta noticed Bulma's confused frown when their son seemed to forget they were in the room. He felt Goku and Goten touch down in the front lawn and left to apprise them of the situation and tell them his plan. It was time the woman realized the severity of the issue at hand.

A few minutes later, the three Saiyajins piled back into the kitchen, only to find that Trunks had moved closer to Usagi. Bulma looked on with mounting confusion when he picked up a piece of her hair and actually _sniffed_ it.

Vegeta signaled Goten forward.

'_Oh man, I really don't want to start this._' Goten took a long shaky breath, darted across the table and snatched his sister from her seat. Usagi was startled awake, but it was Trunks' reaction that had the room scrambling.

He let out an inhuman shriek and lunged after them, ready to attack anyone coming between him and what he wanted. Just as quickly, Vegeta and Goku each grabbed an arm and attempted to restrain him. Bulma watched in budding horror when her son started thrashing wildly, kicking and throwing punches in an effort to gain freedom. She winced as one punch landed rather audibly. '_He's not holding anything back_.'

Before anyone could guess his intent, Trunks summoned the burning gold power within and flashed into a Super Saiyajin. The pulse of golden energy sent Goku and Vegeta flying, slamming them rather painfully against the kitchen cabinets. They were both dazed from the unexpected move. Trunks vaulted across the table, violence a red haze clouding his mind, his now black eyes flashing bright under the florescent lighting. The beast was upon him.

Thankfully, Usagi was faster even than a Super Saiyajin. She jumped in front of her little brother, arms spread wide, using her body as a human shield. '_Trunks won't hurt me._' Her confidence faltered when she saw his glittering black eyes promising death to his enemies.

Trunks darted to the right, but she mirrored him move for move. After sidestepping half a dozen times, he let out a howl of frustration. Usage knew not to speak; it would only make everything worse. Instead, she attempted to stare him down; but those eyes were too unnerving.

She tried not to panic when he stalked up to her. He reached his arms out, but instead of grabbing her like she feared, his outstretched hands passed over her shoulders and started ki blasting. Goten was hard-pressed to dodge the deadly energy and got singed more than once.

Vegeta and Goku, now Super Saiyajins, grabbed Trunks' arms and held him captive before he could completely destroy the kitchen and seriously hurt Goten.

Usagi frantically searched for a way to dissolve the situation. Before, by the campfire, the rage, the beast inside her friend was barely teased to the surface. Now, it was practically frothing at the mouth it wanted out so bad. The beast's mentality may have manifested, but its true power lay dormant still. Usagi shuddered to think about what that power could do. No one would be able to stop him. No one would dare.

She knew that comforting words would not help; he was beyond that now. This beast did not want to be persuaded back into hiding. '_It needs to be soothed first_.' And she knew she was the only one it would listen to. Everyone else was an enemy. These past few days, she had tried to understand why she was the exception. Trunks and Goten were best friends too, so why was Goten still the enemy? Nothing made sense to her anymore. '_What am I going to do?_' There was so much violence and rage in him. '_I wish I could bring him peace…_' As the last of that thought drifted through her mind, an idea dawned.

With more confidence than she felt, she walked right up to his struggling form.

"Usagi, stay back," Goku cautioned. "He's not thinking clearly."

She ignored him and gently placed her fingertips to her friend's temples. With one deep, calming breath she searched within herself and called forth the healing energy that she had tapped years before to heal Trunks' burned arm. Maybe she could heal him of his anger.

As soon as her fingertips burned bright with the silver energy, Trunks' struggles lessened until eventually he lay still under her touch. She felt her power seep into him and gasped when she saw with her mind's eye the writhing blood red power straining towards freedom. The healing energy tentatively brushed against the churning power. For one brief moment, the churning halted, as if the power was shocked. That was just the invitation the power wanted. Usagi heard Trunks gasp, as if from a thousand miles away, but couldn't react in time. The molten red mass reared up like a monstrous tidal wave and crashed around her, encircling the healing silver glow and promptly thrusting Usagi back into her reality. Quite suddenly she was in her kitchen staring into the black, soulless eyes of her best friend, and felt the power within him stare hungrily back. In that moment, as fear sent her heart pounding like a trapped bird, she felt connected and, strangely, complete. Deep within herself something answered back.

Trunks slowly came to himself. He felt the beast recognize this power….felt it start to crave this peace. He knew that the beast had made a decision. It wanted this power. It wanted this touch like a drug, an addiction that knew no limits. Most of all, it wanted out. The fear Trunks felt finally forced the beast back into hiding. He mentally dead-bolted, barricaded, and locked the beast behind a steel-reinforced concrete door and knew that it would not be enough. The beast had a mission now. Hunt down the power and claim it for itself. '_Usagi…_'

Trunks wearily blinked open blue eyes and collapsed suddenly exhausted from his emotional roller coaster. "Usa, I…" he didn't know what to say. What could possibly make up for the fear hiding in her eyes?

She smiled sadly. "I know. It's okay. We'll figure out a way around this." She tried to sound more reassuring than she felt. Still, when Vegeta and Goku released their death grips, she took two big steps back, somehow knowing that if they touched, then the beast could rise again.

Goten came forward. "Look, Trunks, I'm sorry."

Trunks waved away his apology. "Not your fault." He couldn't meet anyone's eyes. "I'm going to go crash." He glanced back at Usagi and then was gone.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"W-What was that?" Bulma could barely speak coherently she was so rattled.

"That's a physical manifestation of the rage that fuels a Saiyajin's power. The royal bloodline has more than normal, but I don't really know what to make of that," he gestured to where his son was moments before. "This is a rage so intense that it formed a sentient being….a beast, if you will, that….possesses him. It literally overrides his reason." He shook his head and dismissed his thoughts. "Regardless of its intensity, this struggle to control his emotions is normal in every young Saiyajin male's life. The rite of passage is designed to help a brat cope with his feelings and learn to trust in himself again."

Bulma mentally reviewed everything she saw. "So," she started uncertainly, "you're saying if he goes off by himself for a little while he'll learn to master his….beast?" She would have felt ridiculous asking that question if she hadn't have just seen her son go all Exorcist.

Vegeta hedged. "He'll learn to have more control. It will take years of hard work and discipline to truly master this power. Spending some quality time alone is the first step. A crucial step."

Goten piped up. "Am I going to act like that in a few years?"

Goku shook his head. "I don't think so, son. Vegeta was saying that Trunks appears to be an extreme exception." '_Thank Kami,'_ Goku mentally finished. He didn't know if he had the patience and fortitude to handle something like Trunks' inner rage.

Bulma was silent for a long moment. Her desire to do what was right for her son warred with her motherly instincts. It was only when she caught sight of Usagi's pale uncertain face, that her decision became clear. "Okay. He can go on one condition."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "What condition?"

"That you let him wear a pair of pants at least."

Vegeta frowned, wondering why she was worried about the boy's wardrobe. "Fine. The brat starts tomorrow." Before he disappeared down the hallway, he remembered Usagi. "The girl brat needs to start her ritual too."

Bulma's face drained of color so fast, she thought she was going to faint. "She's going to go insane too?"

* * *

Trunks sat with his knees folded under him and stared outside of his bedroom window at the wilderness beyond the city. At the beginning of his meditation session, he thought that this was all a big waste of time. One part of him wanted to strike out as soon as possible; the sooner he began his month alone, the sooner he would return. Another part, one he didn't want to recognize, was apprehensive about being alone. He'd never not had someone to talk to or play around with. It was weird to think that he wouldn't be able to spar with his dad, help his mom in the lab, boss around Goten, or hug Usagi for a whole month. The longer he sat and thought, the more he realized that he needed to face this apprehension – he refused to call it fear – while he didn't have to concentrate on survival. Mental preparation.

He thought back on one of his father's many training sessions. '_The only sort of discipline is perfect discipline. Being mentally prepared for the obstacles ahead is the first step towards this perfect discipline. Without a sound, calm mind, the body falls short and the inner will fails.'_

Trunks stared at the mountains in the distance and thought about all of the lessons he would learn and the obstacles he would face in the coming weeks. Since he grew up in the city his whole life, he wasn't entirely sure of what to expect but knew that he would succeed no matter what the cost. He was born to rule and to conquer, no wilderness would best him. With a deep breath, he began to meticulously plan his first moves. His mom's favorite quote, '_Luck is when preparation meets opportunity_._' _It was time he made his own luck.

* * *

"It's totally not fair! You get to go out and have adventures for a whole month, while I'll be shut away in my room staring at four walls until I go insane. You'll probably come home and find me locked up in some loony bin talking to myself." Usagi tried to make light of the obstacles ahead, knowing that a positive outlook on the next month was crucial to their mental well-being.

Trunks tried to smile. "At least I'll know you'll be safe." '_And alone,_' he finished mentally. The quaking fury within stripped down his defenses until the only thing left was brutal honesty. Knowing that she was living her life normally without him would drive him to distraction. He remembered the torture his conscience put him through when she was in the afterlife and later when the social worker took her away. Was she safe? Did she think about him? But, the most plaguing question of all was, was she equally as miserable without him as he was without her? However, this time, he knew she would be spending the month in seclusion along with him. She would be safe at Capsule Corp and he knew that she would be equally as miserable.

Usagi tentatively stepped closer and wrapped him in a bear hug. "I'll miss you." She wasn't letting some silly power prevent her from saying farewell to her best friend. They had never voluntarily spent this much time apart. '_Well_,' she thought, '_At least one of us isn't dead this time.'_

Trunks buried his face in her silky hair and breathed deeply. He felt the power start to rise and gave her a hard squeeze before backing a safe distance away. They shared a sad smile. It was hard for them to keep their distance when they were so used to relying on shared touches to give comfort. Trunks studied her for a long moment, attempting to memorize exactly how she looked – her somber blue eyes, shimmering gold hair, her soft smile, all the way down to her fuzzy pink socks.

"Think of me." His last words were a command that she had no intention of disobeying. As he passed the threshold of the door, he kicked off his sandals and pulled his shirt over his head before disappearing into the afternoon. Usagi stared at the closed door for a long while trying to cope with the fact that he was gone and would be gone until the sun had set 28 times.

"Don't worry, brat. He'll be fine," Vegeta's voice echoed from behind her. "You should be concentrating on your own ritual."

Bulma interrupted. "Well, she's not going to be starting hers for another week at least. I've still to interview for a full time caregiver. With my schedule, I simply don't have the time to run a company and conduct this …er…ritual. One or both would be slighted. So, I've decided to have a day time staffer and I'll be able to take over in the evenings." She pulled Usagi into a quick hug, "Don't worry, honey, I'll get you someone who's interesting to talk to and full of stories. You won't be bored, I promise."

After a week's searching, Bulma was ready to pull her hair out in frustration. In the entire city, there wasn't one competent person to take care of a girl Usagi's age. Half the people who applied lacked experience or a brain between their ears, and the other half only had contact with the elderly or the sick. They were used to simply sitting and doing their own thing while their charges were either unconscious or trapped in their dementia. Not one could hold any kind of conversation that wasn't related to illness, the weather, or dead relatives.

"Yes, ma'am." One such woman lounged in her office chair knitting what looked like a dog sweater. _Click. Click._ "I find that reading to my charges helps them find peace. There is quite a bit of power in a soothing voice, if I do say so. Sometimes we'll watch game shows together and have just a dandy time doing it."

Bulma raised an eyebrow. Who used the word dandy anymore? "You do realize that I'm discussing a teenager not a geriatric?"

The woman smiled sweetly while her eyes seemed to drift. She hummed a little under her breath. "Children like TV too."

Bulma sighed. "Thank you…er…" she glanced down at the resume that looked as though it had been typed with something as archaic as a typewriter. "Mrs. Boone, for your time today. My secretary will contact you with a decision."

Her overly bright professional smile dissolved as soon as the door clicked shut. She flopped back into her comfy office chair and rubbed the bridge of her nose. '_What a mess_.' Just as she was ordering her computer to shut down for the night, there was a brisk knock at the door.

She blinked in surprise when one of her newer, younger executives entered. The woman's name was just at the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't quite remember, so she covered her uncharacteristic memory lapse with a bright smile. "I wasn't aware anyone was still in the offices at this hour." They shook hands. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

The woman smiled softly. "I noticed your ad about the temporary caregiving job and I was wondering if you found anyone yet."

Bulma laughed bitterly. "It's been nothing short of a disaster. I'm thinking about starting a competent hiring service so that others won't have to wade through the same amount of bullshit I've had to today. Excuse my frankness, but it's been a long day." She walked over to the built-in bar on the other side of her office and poured herself a good portion of amber liquid into a squat glass. She raised her glass in a silent invitation, but was pleased when the woman executive declined.

"Somehow I don't think you popped by to listen to my complaints."

The woman smiled again. "Not quite. I wanted to apply for the position if you hadn't already filled it. I'm great with kids; I have a young niece who I'm very fond of. " She pulled a crisp paper out of her portfolio and presented it to her startled boss.

Bulma almost gaped when she read the impeccable resume. "I'm looking for someone during the day, every day of this month. How do you propose completing your work duties and fulfilling this position?"

"I have excellent time-management skills. As you can see, I support the technical department, troubleshooting computer software issues. Many of my duties can be completed remotely. I already complete much of my current work during the evenings, so I have more than enough time to devote to other pursuits. I love kids, so I thought this would be a worthwhile use of my time."

Bulma appreciated someone who could multitask; it made life so much more efficient. "What other pursuits?" She was curious about what this woman did for fun.

"Oh, I enjoy music and often travel around the world to different concerts and performances. I also enjoy history and learning about other cultures. As you can see, I've received a Bachelor's in Ancient History and Anthropology. I speak multiple languages and I recently obtained my pilot's license."

Bulma grinned. This woman definitely had stories to tell. _'What a godsend.'_ She was so impressed that she picked up her phone and immediately checked the woman's references. A mere ten minutes later, after a glowing review from her immediate supervisor, the woman found herself employed with a temporary job.

"I want you to start immediately. Present yourself at my front door tomorrow at 8 am. I'll introduce you to Usagi and explain the parameters of your duties in further detail. I'm glad to have you," Bulma glanced down at the woman's resume. "Setsuna."

* * *

AN: I know its a little short, but it was a great place to end it. Keep in mind Endymion said only he and the inner senshi didn't get a 2nd chance - didn't mention about the outers. Anyone else find it funny that Setsuna has great time management skills? :) To answer some questions: EnuNR-zero, yes, part 2 they skip to 15 and then part 3 of this story they'll be 17/18. MinakoXokaniM - remember Usagi gave her life up for Trunks' happiness. She loves him a lot, but she's not quite thinking on the same wave length just yet. But, yes, lots of drama coming soon. Mangal2012 - er...no. slightly disturbing at their age. patience. serenitylovers - reread chapter 19, gave an age there; Aleric - not quite that strong of a word; I'll try to do better with explaining next chapter, lets just call it extreme testosterone overload, very hormonal; princesakarlita411 - yes; crispywheat09 - agreed :D very scary; just wait.

REVIEW, tell me what you think.


	27. The Storm

**Chapter 26**

Trunks remembered his father's warning '_I'll be monitoring your ki output for the whole month. If it rises even one notch, you fail. No exceptions. That means no flying, no blasting, no shielding, no nothing. Understood?'_ The only real resources left were his speed, his strength, and his genius. Trunks grinned. This was going to be a piece of cake.

The elements of survival were simple – food, water, clothing, and shelter. During his meditation session, he decided that his temporary home would be the same cave they camped at a few days ago. That was where he headed now. His legs were a blur beneath him as he dodged the low hanging branches and jumped over fallen moss-covered logs. He eyed the lowering sun with a little apprehension – there was much to do before the end of the day – but knew that he would arrive well before twilight. After a few hours of sprinting, he pushed away the last branch and finally spied the clearing; the cave lay just beyond. He was winded, but the run had been exhilarating. It was almost second nature for him to fly – it was faster, more convenient, and took less effort – but the run stretched his muscles and had his blood singing.

A soft gurgling sound echoed across the clearing. Not believing his luck, Trunks quickly rushed over and spied a small stream that trickled down the face of the cliff not 200 meters from the mouth of his cave. It's source was from the rain water of the recent spring storms – this time of year was always plagued with windy booming storms that sometimes lasted days. He knew that the water was as pure and untainted as he would find in this wilderness. Long minutes later, when his thirst was finally satiated, his stomach growled reminding him it was time to eat.

Before he moved away, he eyed the little stream. He wouldn't always be close to drink from it. If he was out hunting and got thirsty, it would take him forever to trek back here for some water. There had to be a way to take it with him. For the first time, he realized that maybe things wouldn't be so easy. He had no container for the precious liquid – no way to store it and no way to transport it. If he somehow got separated from this clearing for any length of time, he could die from dehydration if he didn't find an alternate water source. He briefly considered scouting for other streams and creeks but realized that it could just be a colossal waste of time. Making some container would be more practical. Trunks chewed on his lip and glanced around the meadow uncertainly. What could he use as a bowl?

His stomach growled again, impatient. '_A bowl can wait,'_ he suddenly decided and started for the stream. Goku's lesson on how to catch fish was still at the forefront of his mind. He thought the amount of meat from one giant fish should last him a few days. He grinned at the thought of hunting only a few days a week. Before he reached the stream's edge, his grin faded into a worried frown when he realized that there was no refrigerator here to store the excess meat. It would spoil with the heat of the day. Trunks growled his frustration. '_I'll just kill a fish every day then.'_ It seemed a waste, but what was else was he to do?

After a long, water-logged hour, Trunks dragged the limp carcass of a massive fish into the clearing. He propped himself against its scales and closed his eyes, savoring the last rays of the sunlight. That had been a lot harder to do on his own. Goku made it look so easy.

His stomach growled loudly yet again. All that work, and he still couldn't eat. Now he appreciated Goku's hard work, while he and Goten had been goofing off in the stream that day, Goku had been seeing to their stomach's needs. Trunks sighed, jabbed the limp fish with his elbow in a petty show of revenge – if the fish hadn't put up such a long fight then he could be eating right now! - and climbed to his feet.

First things first, fire. Trunks glanced around and felt his aching stomach sink to his feet. There were no logs around. He would have to go gather sticks or chop wood or something. At least the ring of rocks outlining the fire pit was still there. The stones would keep the embers from igniting a forest fire and really ruining his day.

Trunks left his fish and trekked back into the woods. A few minutes later, he emerged with a pile of broken limbs and fallen branches clutched in his arms. He started making a pile next to his circle of stones and after half a dozen trips, he felt that he had enough wood to last the night. Tomorrow he would chop some wood and store it in his cave, away from the temperamental weather. It would be almost impossible to start a fire with wet wood.

He turned to his fish, and gasped when he saw that crows were pecking out the glassy dead eyes and some other creature had dragged off part of the tail. Arms flailing in anger, he chased off the scavengers with a few loud expletives and a couple of well-aimed punches. One crow squawked in indignation before clumsily taking to the air to circle low and wait for its next chance. '_Stupid animals. I didn't work hard to give you free dinner.'_ He didn't really begrudge them the meal. After all, there was no way he could eat it all. '_They can have what's left. But _I _eat first.'_ He grumbled his discontent while he studied the pile of wood. How was he supposed to make fire without using ki? He couldn't even use the inadequate human lighters. His stomach urged him to find a solution fast. From some movie he watched long ago, he vaguely recalled that you could rub some sticks together and it was supposed to make fire. '_How the hell does that work anyway?'_

He rolled his eyes and ran back towards the woods, pissed that he had to set foot under the canopy for the third time that day. '_Tomorrow, I'll be more organized,'_ he vowed as he stalked back to his dead fish with twin sticks clutched in both hands. He sat down and started rubbing. After the first three sets of sticks lay crumpled in a broken heap, he started cursing Saiyajin traditions and whoever decided that this would be a worthwhile use of his time. Finally, when he remembered that you had to have something to catch the spark, flames appeared. He refused to sigh in relief, afraid that one little gust of wind would extinguish all his hard work. Slowly, he laid his twigs on top of the mound of smoking dried leaves until he had a medium-sized fire that didn't need constant supervision.

Reality returned as soon as he lost his intense focus. Crickets and cicadas sputtered to life startling him when their constant drone grew almost deafeningly loud before quieting down to a bare whisper and then growing loud again. He blinked and realized that the sun had just passed the edge of the horizon leaving the sky a strange mix of bright orange and dark blue. There wasn't much daylight left and only mediocre firelight. The fish still needed to be prepared – gutted, scaled, and cooked. Trunks stared at his bare hands and fought the anger and helplessness that rose when he realized that he had no knife.

That was the last straw. Anger and frustration welled up and clouded his mind in a red haze. He wanted to hurt something, to destroy something. He reached for the closest thing to him, laid hands on the largest stick in his pile and, in one brief moment of insanity, hurled it at a far tree. The moment passed. His rage spent, he dispassionately watched the wood shatter into a million splintered pieces. As he watched the pieces scatter to the forest floor, an idea came to him. Okay, so he didn't have a knife. But what was a knife anyway, except a sharp edge? His eyes frantically scoured the river's edge, praying that the sunlight would last just a little longer. This would be nearly impossible in full dark.

After collecting a handful of promising stones that each was as large as a melon, he hurried over to the cliff and hurled them with all of his might. The first stone crumpled into dust. Trunks breathed deeply, trying to curb his impatience and his strength. '_Maybe too much strength is a bad thing?'_ The next stone shattered into a million tiny pieces, all too small to work with. The third stone was the trick; it cracked into a handful of palm-sized pieces, one of which had an edge sharp enough to cut with. The firelight gleamed off its edge. Trunks' stomach cheered. '_Food here I come!'_ The goofiest grin stretched across his face when he pierced the fish's belly with his make-shift knife.

By the time full dark descended to shroud the meadow in an inky blackness, Trunks was licking his fingers clean. Since he didn't know the difference between herbs and weeds, the bland fish hadn't been close to Goku's level of cooking. His stomach, however, was very appreciative of his efforts. Somehow the fish still tasted delicious now that he knew the value of every bite. Long after his needs were met, he sat and stared into the flames, trying not to think about the loneliness creeping into his mind. Always before he shared a house with his parents and then later Usagi as well. Even when he went out exploring, he almost always had Goten with him. He glanced around the clearing wishing that someone was there with which to share his thoughts and break the oppressive silence. There was nothing. Only the noise of the crickets rising and falling, like a heartbeat.

Resolving never to tell Goten that he was going to bed this early on his own, he sighed and banked the fire. A single flaming stick lit his way as he listlessly shuffled up the hill and into his cave. The light was minimal but was sufficient enough to illuminate the desolate interior. Unlike a few days ago, there was no cozy sleeping bag or fluffy pillow to blunt the cold, hard dirt. Preparing a comfortable place to sleep had totally slipped his mind, just like everything else. He propped his back against the stone wall and winced when a jutting piece of rock dug a grove into his bare back. Definitely not comfortable. He buried his face into his bent knees and refused to pity himself. Right when he thought he would lose it again, he smelled a sweet scent.

His head jerked up, his eyes wide, "Usa?" Only silence answered him. No, the scent was too faint. He closed his eyes and crawled on hands and knees, tracing the scent to the very same spot she had slept a few days before. Carefully, as if not to disturb the air and dispel the smell, he stretched out and felt his muscles start to relax. He drifted to sleep remembering the feel of her in his arms, smelling the last vestiges of her leftover scent. '_Even here, days later, she gives me peace,' _was his last thought before exhaustion finally claimed him.

* * *

After two weeks the smell of fish made him nauseous; even the shape of a fish would send him into a rage. He wanted real meat. Red meat. From an animal that walked on legs. One that lived far away from the damn stream. Trunks gathered his makeshift weapons – a large sturdy tree branch that had been carefully shaped into a club, jagged rock pieces that were jammed into the ends of short straight branches and then secured with tightly-wrapped vines to resemble rough spears, and long shards of broken rocks with deadly pointed edges that fit easily into his hands to become daggers.

He passed by the enormous piles of wood that lined the cave's walls. Since he didn't have anything equivalent to an ax at his disposal, he had broken every piece of wood with his bare hands and brute strength. Two weeks later, he was still digging out all of the splinters, but fire was worth the effort. The flickering flames made the nights a little more bearable; at least he didn't have to suffer his loneliness in the dark.

The surrounding wooded areas were now as familiar to him as his backyard at Capsule Corp. He passed the blueberry bush he raided days earlier – his mouth was still stained purple from all of the juices – and the towering chestnut tree that littered the ground with freshly dropped nuts he collected every morning. There was even a little citrus tree that had extremely tart fruit. It was so sour that it made his face pucker with every bite, but it definitely woke him up in the mornings. He always climbed the sturdy oak tree next to it so that he could hang from the branches and pick off the topmost fruit. Not flying really took extra time and effort out of his day – it made him pity humans all the more.

When the canopy became thick enough to cast the forest floor into twilight, Trunks quieted his footsteps and darted behind the trees. It was all about stealth and speed now. He scanned the dirt and surrounding bushes to look for any signs of the red meat he was after. '_There!'_ He tried not to get too excited when he saw a broken branch and a fresh print that looked as though it belonged to a deer or something similar. Granted, he didn't know the first thing about tracking, but the print looked fresh enough that he was almost sure the animal was close. With a giant leap, he jumped into the lower most branches of a huge oak so that he could get a bird's eye view of the surrounding area. The canopy itself limited his vision, but it also limited the growth of younger trees, so that underneath the treetops, he could see for a long distance.

There was a faint rustle from a bush just at the edge of his enhanced vision, as a young doe tentatively emerged, stretching its neck to reach the top leaves of a particularly tasty plant. Trunks didn't waste time with strategy – he was too eager to eat something new – and leaped from the branch with all of his Saiyajin speed. The deer, scenting danger, momentarily froze, its white tail and furry ears pointed up in alarm, before dashing off into the underbrush.

Trunks laughed at how slow it was, raised his rugged spear, and stabbed it through the neck, killing it with one quick thrust. When he yanked his spear out he wasn't prepared for the amount of blood that gushed from the wound and, being distracted, didn't hear the growl until it was almost too late. His intense training and swift reflexes alone had him diving over his kill and barely missing the quick swipe of sharp claws. He rolled to his feet and dropped into a crouch only to stare up at the sharp pointy teeth of the largest wolf he'd ever seen. With raised haunches, the wolf licked its lips and then launched itself over the dead deer. Trunks' mind immediately went blank, consumed by the same red haze.

It was the sunlight that woke him. There was a particularly annoying ray of light that filtered through the thick canopy above and shone directly into his eye. Trunks jerked his head away from the disturbance, and winced with regret when his face landed in a pool of something warm and sticky. He cracked open his eyes and blinked at the sea of red around him. At first he wasn't sure where he was. A persistent sharp rusty smell consumed his senses. He slowly sat up, working out the kinks in his stiff muscles, only to pause and gape at his surroundings. The forest was covered in blood. He glanced down at himself and saw that his bare chest was equally painted with gore.

The wolf's carcass lay in pieces around him. Tufts of blood-matted hair stirred in the warm breeze. His spear jutted out of what could have been the wolf's flank. The animal's head lay close to his left hand, its lips still raised in a snarl. One of its eyes looked to be missing. Trunks gulped and looked away only to stare in wonder at the deer carcass that lay relatively untouched except for the buzzing of flies.

The fury within lay sated for once, content with the bloody victory. '_Mine...'_ It had claimed the deer for its own and ripped any offenders into shreds. Trunks started shaking. He sat there in the midst of the gore in a pool of blood, staring at the deer with horror. The beast had only ever claimed one other thing. '_Usagi...'_ He began to realize what could have happened if no one had stopped him before. Usagi, like the deer, would have been untouched by his rage. However, the wolf... He stared into the dead yellow eye of his rival and thought about Goten. It didn't matter that Goten wasn't drawn to her changing scent, he was still considered a threat. What would he have done to Goten? Or anyone else who came between him and what he wanted?

A chill raced down his spine. He crawled to the bushes and vomited.

It wasn't until later that night, while he listlessly watched the venison roast on sharpened stakes over a crackling fire, that he realized something significant about his inner power. That was the first time the beast emerged without Usagi being present. '_No, the second time,'_ he mentally corrected, recalling his insatiable thirst for blood when he faced off against the alien force in the future. '_It's emerging through violence.' _Now, however, when he reached down inside, the beast lay content, drinking off the high of the bloody victory. Perversely, he felt good. Relaxed. For the first time in months, he didn't feel at war with himself. Even if Usagi were sitting next to him, he didn't think that the beast had the energy to emerge, even with Usagi's changing scent as a temptation.

'_Violence as an outlet?'_ It bore some consideration. This was the second time the beast emerged with violence. Once in a row didn't mean anything; that could be a fluke, a random accident. But, if something happened twice or more then it created a pattern. Trunks frowned, trying to figure out a plan of action. '_Too bad aliens can't invade everyday.'_ He thought that if he went out and killed something, did something really bloody then he could come home and be close to Usagi without having to endanger her. He couldn't get away from the inner rage and the dark feelings, but he might be able to redirect them.

Trunks blinked to awareness. The night air was cooler than usual and the wind was picking up. He rubbed his arms and looked at the gray clouds that were almost directly overhead. All evening he watched the storm build into a monster. The night sky lit with bright flashes of jagged bolts jumping from cloud to cloud. Deep rumbling of thunder echoed off the cliff at his back. His fire dimmed with each wet gust. Trunks hurried to gather the long kabobs of meat and get it under the protective covering of his cave before the first raindrops fell. It looked like this was going to be a storm of the century. '_It'll probably last days. At least I have enough food.'_

He munched on the tender meat and watched the sheets of rain slam against the cliff face and then stream down over the opening in waterfalls. Lightning flashed and for one surreal moment the raindrops sparkled like diamonds. Thunder shook the walls around him sending small pebbles raining over his head. Trunk pulled his deer hide tighter across his shoulders and wondered if Usagi was watching the same storm. She probably couldn't hear it from under the bed or in the closet or where ever she was hiding. Thinking of home, he looked around and grabbed a stick that had fourteen vertical grooves etched deep into his side. There was no way he was going to forget and spend even one more day out here than necessary. Every time he etched a new notch, he imagined what Usagi's face would look like when he walked through the front door for the first time in a month.

'_She'll probably cry she's so happy to see me.'_ He thought about all of the hugs he would get and how they would be inseparable for weeks. That thought more than any other motivated him to learn and control the darker parts of his nature. He wasn't missing out on even one minute of her undivided attention.

The longer he considered the thought of getting bloody and causing pain to those lesser than himself, the less disturbing he found the idea. '_As long as I don't hurt my friends or family, what does it matter?'_ There was no love lost between him and humans in general. Most humans, outside his mother of course, were worthless. They had little power and most lacked a brain between their ears. He thought about Chichi and growled.

On some deeper level, he was horrified at how ready and eager he was to embrace his darker half, but spending time with Usagi free of worry was worth it. Violence was already a part of his nature. As a Saiyajin, rage laced his blood, anger fueled every breath, hate could easily consume his mind. He was born as a destructive force and as a prince, he was bred to possess a will to dominate and conquer. The longer he stayed in the wild away from the trappings and distractions of civilization, the more he realized that whatever the beast wanted, the beast got. No matter who or what it had to destroy in the process. '_And the beast is me.'_

The flashes of lightning reflected in his unseeing eyes. Thunder boomed and the earth itself seemed to shiver. Ever so slowly, a dark smirk stretched across his lips.

* * *

'_I wonder if he's drowned in the storm.' _Usagi tried to be optimistic, but every time lightning lit up her darken room she flinched and her mind started thinking the worst. She sat huddled on the floor, her back propped against the bed, staring out the fogged window to watch the rain streak down the glass one drop at a time. The thunder made everything worse. The rumbling was so fierce she fancied it came straight from the bowels of the deepest hells. '_Please let him be safe.'_ She pulled her blanket closer, hoping to banish the chill of dread that only grew with each gust of wind. While Trunks had been forbidden to use ki, she was not so hindered. Slowly, she she raised her energy level and concentrated on the faint flare of his ki in the distance, holding it like a talisman in her mind. It was so faint that it was nearly indistinguishable from the most human ki levels, but she knew his signature better than her own.

There was a brief knock on her bedroom door, followed by a soft voice. "Usagi? I brought you dinner. Bulma's meeting with the board of directors ran over, so she had me stay."

Usagi turned to study the woman who had become her companion over the past week. There was something so comforting and _right_ about her presence, as though they had known each other far longer than a mere handful of days. This instant connection made Usagi suspicious. She didn't like strange women. The years of abuse from her mother coupled with Vegeta's misogynistic attitude taught her that women weren't to be trusted. At least, not right away. There were only two women to date who held her faith, Bulma and Fausha; the former had helped to raise her while the latter her grandfather vouched for and then had half a year to gain her trust. This strange woman with olive green hair and ancient eyes, no matter how nice, no matter how _connected_ she felt, was not to be trusted.

"Thanks." Usagi stretched out and pulled the tray across the floor. With deft fingers she quickly examined every morsel of food before deeming it safe enough to eat. Bulma had hired the woman to look after her, not poison her, but she didn't trust her enough to stay sane this month. Her mother had seemed normal to everyone else before she snapped, so she wasn't taking any chances.

Setsuna sat on the edge of the bed and watched her charge with sad eyes. "Are you worried about your friend?"

Bulma told the woman that her best friend was away at camp for a whole month, inventing a cover story since she knew Usagi would mention him at some point. It disturbed her that the woman could discern her thoughts so readily.

"He's fine." She tried to sound more confident than she felt, but just then lightning flashed and she jumped. Her knuckles turned white as her fists tightly clinched around the blanket.

"Does the storm bother you?"

Usagi slowly loosened her grip, mentally cursing for giving herself away. The woman was far too observant for her liking. Instead of answering, she shrugged noncommittally and chewed in silence.

Setsuna sighed. They sat in silence for a long while, each watching the storm trapped in their own thoughts. "My niece used to be afraid of storms," she mused aloud, as if she were talking to herself. "She used to be afraid of many things."

Usagi tried to ignore the soft voice that seemed to resonate with wisdom of the ages. '_The lady isn't even as old as Bulma, so what does she know.'_ She stubbornly pushed away the feeling of familiarity along with her food tray.

"My niece was most afraid of herself."

Usagi turned her head in surprise. "Why?" she couldn't help but ask. The woman had spoken of her niece so often over the past week that she felt like she knew her.

Setsuna studied the delicate profile of her charge, debating on how much to reveal. "She is very special. She has many special gifts that sometimes are hard to control."

Usagi stilled. "Gifts?"

Setsuna nodded slowly. "I think you know because you're special too. Aren't you, princess?"

Usagi jumped to her feet. "I don't know what you're talking about." Even as she denied, her mind raced. Others had called her princess before. She thought back to the Endymion character she met in the future and the strange voice from the fires years earlier.

Setsuna stayed seated on the bed, her hands clasped calmly in her lap. "Sometimes you have dreams about things that have not yet come to pass."

Usagi remembered dreaming about the day Buu came to earth days before his arrival. That day unfolded just as her dreams foretold. She shivered remembering her sacrifice. Lightning cracked across the sky, but she wasn't sure if it was real or only alive in her memory.

"You have great compassion and if there is a need, you can heal with the touch of your hands."

Usagi thought about Trunks' arm, Celeric's son, and future Gohan's arm. "How do you know that? Are you working for the government or something? Have you been spying on me?" Just thinking about people watching her unknowingly made her sick to her stomach.

Setsuna smiled softly. "No, princess. It is because of these gifts that you were able to wield the Golden Crystal and heal the future realm."

Usagi stared. "How did you know that?" '_It's not possible.' _No government agency could have spied on her in the future. "Did someone talk?" She thought about all of the Z-Senshi who traveled with her to the future. Many of them she didn't know personally and didn't know if they were the type to gossip. The only way this woman could know would be if they told her.

"No, princess. I know because I have my own gifts."

Usagi frowned. That could be true. After all, it would be improbable to think that the Z-senshi were the only people in all the world to have gifts. A chill raced up her spine, setting her hairs on end. Could the woman use her gifts to hurt her? Was that why she was here? "What gifts? And why are you telling me this?"

"I control Space and Time. I tell you this because you are unique among your friends. You know this to be true."

Usagi shifted from one foot to the other in indecision; she didn't want to believe this woman. "You're not here just because Bulma hired you." Usagi stared her in the eyes, daring her to lie.

"No. I came to meet you in this reincarnation."

"Uh huh," Usagi finally decided that the woman was crazy. Anyone who started talking about past lives had to be off their rocker. She started edging towards the door and then realized that she couldn't leave the room, not for another three weeks. She briefly considered yelling for assistance, but then realized that there was no one home to hear. '_Bulma is not home yet, Vegeta is in the gravity room, and Trunks...' _Usagi suddenly felt Trunks' absence so keenly that it hurt her heart. Sometimes she felt that she needed him more than she needed to breathe.

"Your gifts need to be developed."

Usagi shook her head. "No, they don't. That's why I have Trunks and Goten."

Setsuna smiled sadly. "You may not always have them around to shield you and protect you."

That just made her mad. "Fat lot you know!"

Setsuna didn't let the show of temper rile her. "What about the fires?" she pressed. "The first time your gifts got out of control the restaurant was torched. Then later your school burned to the ground. That was no ordinary fire."

"That wasn't my fault!"

"I know." Setsuna continued patiently. "Later, the lightning electrocuted you to the point that you died and entered the past life. While in the afterlife you lost control again and demolished the palace gate. It could just have easily been a person."

Usagi turned away and stared out at the raging storm, but couldn't ignore the woman's voice.

"Then, you went to the hospital for hypothermia. That time your gifts almost killed you again."

She shivered thinking about the dream that had triggered everything. All that snow and ice. The arctic wolf.

"This can't continue. You'll die. Again. Without proper training, your powers will continue to overwhelm you. Until you can learn better control you're a danger to yourself and those around you." She paused debating on whether to be underhanded, but then she noticed the stubborn tilt of the girl's jaw. "Didn't you make a promise to your friend?"

Usagi flinched, remembering her pinky swear to Trunks. She wouldn't leave him.

"What makes you think you have a right to talk to me like this? You've only known me for a week! You don't know anything about my family or my friends."

"You know me. You feel this connection between us. I can't explain it to you now, you're not ready to hear everything I have to say; but don't lie to me and don't lie to yourself. _You know me._"

Usagi stood trembling with all of the emotion coursing through her. The storm seemed to express her inner feelings, the wind gusts were so intense that the silhouetted trees were almost bent double, their branches flailed to and fro as if they were frantically reaching for help. Twigs and leaves assaulted the sides of the house while the rain endlessly battered the roof in a staccato percussion.

The longer she thought about the woman's words the more she realized that people could have been killed. Dozens of people were injured in the school fire. She was lucky that her whole class hadn't been burned alive. Usagi felt a hard lump settle in the pit of her stomach thinking that she could have been responsible for the deaths of so many if things had been even a little different. If the fire hadn't followed her or if the ceiling had collapsed immediately then everyone would have died. Including Trunks...and it would have been her fault.

After a long moment of silence, Usagi finally turned back to the woman with whom she felt this bone deep connection. "All of that happened years ago. My...powers," she finally admitted to their existence aloud, "haven't flared up in years. Why are you here now? Why didn't you come then?"

Setsuna shook her head. "It wasn't the right time. You weren't ready."

Usagi raised an eyebrow. "And now I am?"

Setsuna nodded.

"Prove it."

Setsuna blinked in surprise. "Pardon?"

Usagi crossed her arms. "I want you to prove it. You waltz in here and tell me all of this," she waved her hand, unable to come up with the right words, "Expecting me to believe you and feel guilty without any proof? You must be crazy. You tell me you can control space and time, so I want you to prove it. Show me."

Setsuna frowned. "It isn't a parlor trick. There are repercussions to meddling with time and space. Every action taken alters the state of the future. I won't risk that without a good reason. Appeasing your curiosity isn't good enough."

"What about winning my trust? Because if you don't convince me now, then I'll think you're lying to me and I never trust anyone who lies. You'll be just like every other 'adult' who thinks they know what's best for me when really they don't know shit."

Setsuna sighed and stared off into the distance. Somehow she never expected this conversation to be this difficult. She was silent for a long moment, examining all ramifications of any action she could take. Perhaps she could use this to her advantage.

"You are undergoing the Saiyajin female rite of passage." Setsuna sighed. "That is something I have little knowledge about. However, I do know that this ritual is important, even critical, in every Saiyajin's life." She finally stood and with a wave of her hand a long staff appeared.

Usagi gasped in shock. '_It just appeared out of nowhere!' _The staff was longer than the woman was tall and looked ancient. There was a glowing red jewel at the top that eerily matched the woman's eyes.

The woman smacked the butt of the staff against the floor three times. Each time it seemed to echo louder until it blended in with the sounds of the thunder outside. A huge void, like a black hole opened against her bedroom wall, the wind pouring through the void was so intense that Usagi had to grab onto her bedpost to keep from getting thrown against the wall. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. Dark. Churning. Mysterious.

Usagi risked a glance at the woman and gasped when she saw the glowing planetary symbol pulsating with light on her forehead. She slowly touched her own forehead where her symbols would sometimes appear.

"You will find answers on the other side."

Usagi edged around the bed, keeping a wary eye on the strange woman and peeked inside the portal. She gasped when she saw something so familiar that it brought tears to her eyes.

"H-How?"

"Don't be long, princess. When you return, no time will have passed here. You will still have your full month of seclusion and so will not have violated your rites to womanhood. Go now. Find your answers."

Usagi tore her gaze away and stared at the woman for a long moment. "Thank you." She ran with all of her speed and plunged straight into the swirling energy without a moment's hesitation.

"Bardock!"

* * *

AN: Just for you guys. I wasn't originally intending to head back to Vegeta-sei, but so many of you asked I figured I could work it into part 2 of this story. So, consider this an early Christmas present. Now, to answer some questions. Shelley - Thanks for keeping up with me this long! As for my motivation, its hard to explain. This story is always at the back of my mind. It's a hobby that I turn to when I'm stressed. My life has taken a huge shift and I suddenly found myself with lots of time on my hands, so I decided to get it out of my head and on paper. MinakoXokaniM - hope I answered your question in this chapter. Momma Lici - I like your observations. You definitely gave me some food for thought. They're going to have interesting ways to cope with these changes. I always love fanart! :D I'm glad the story could inspire you. Belle86 - Keep in mind Goten is younger and softer 'cause he's nicer. I'll explain more about Trunks' powers next chappy. Trust me, Usagi isn't the same scared child in the first part and it does make a difference that Trunks isn't directing his dark emotions towards her. SummerThunder - I'll explain more about Gohan in a later chapter. Remember there is more to the ritual than just spending time alone. Cosmic-lover - good question, to be honest I haven't considered what would happen to the human mates if they die. i'll give it some thought. I like your careful reading. :D Mangal12012 - Yep! :) I'll be explaining more next chappy. Thanks everyone for not giving up on me! I'm glad everyone liked Vegeta's and Bulma's fight. REVIEW and let me know what you think.


	28. Answers

**Chapter 27**

The sun was hotter than it should have been in Spring, even late Spring. It's rays beat against the ground turning the scorching sand almost white. Usagi breathed in the smell of the desert and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was really here. On Vegeta-sei. It had been years. She dreamed of this place so often that sometimes she wondered if she ever left. She peeked up quickly and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw nothing hovering above her head. There was no halo because she wasn't dead. Not this time. However, this place was still her heaven.

It seemed strange that this dry desolate landscape made her deliriously happy. This rocky terrain was the stage for many of the happiest memories of her life. There were so many people here who she wanted to see again, and thanks to that strange woman – '_Setsuna'_ – she finally had the chance. Usagi briefly studied the horizon, raising her ki slightly to get her barrings. It had been years since she felt so many powerful kis scattered across a planet. Humans just weren't that powerful - they were more like background noise – while Saiyajins' energy signatures were more like a punch in the face.

'_Bardock...'_ Before she rushed into the strange void, she saw a brief glimpse of his figure, sitting, studying something small and technical looking. She attempted to pinpoint his ki, but it had been too many years and she couldn't quite remember what it felt like. Usagi chewed her lip in indecision before setting out towards Brussel's Bar. If there was anyone on the planet who knew where her grandfather was, it would be Brussel, the bartending warrior. That Saiyajin had his fingers on the pulse of the kingdom. Every piece of gossip worth anything passed through his bar at some point. One time she remembered Commander Celeric, an adviser to the king, saying that Brussel should have gone into espionage instead of bartending, but Bardock's crew had heartily disagreed because then they would have been deprived of the best liquor on the planet. Finally everyone settled on describing him as a man of many talents.

Usagi knew that her speed would set off alarms and put the elite forces on alert, but her excitement caused her to desert her discipline. '_I'm really here!'_ Before too long, she touched down and nearly laughed when she noticed that now the bar hosted an impressive set of windows lining the upper rim of the front entrance. She remembered urging him to install windows during one of her many afternoons spent here. '_I guess he changed his mind.' _The windows were made of stained glass. Their bold colors roughly portrayed a scene that she couldn't quite decipher. This surprised her because the only type of art the Saiyajin culture recognized and regularly practiced were the fighting arts. Everything else was either commissioned – usually upon pain of death – or just outright stolen from the civilizations they conquered. She remembered the fine silks and fabrics she adorned her last visit and knew that those too had been stolen. The only type of clothing that was made by Saiyajins was armor.

'_Have things changed so much?'_ It unsettled her greatly. Her mind kept returning to the Vegeta-sei that was before, but things change. She looked down at herself. No longer was she the timid child who was ruled by fear. Now she was soon to be a woman in this culture, an adult who could speak her own mind and make her own choices. '_Will Bardock even recognize me?'_ Usagi started. '_Has Bardock changed?'_

For a brief moment, she wanted to go home. The Vegeta-sei from before was perfect in her eyes, did she really want to risk discovering it was anything less on her second visit? She thought about the last time she was in this bar, when Trunks and Vegeta came for her. Bardock had been proud of her then. '_Will he be proud of what I've become?'_ she thought with no small amount of hesitation. '_Only one way to find out.'_ With more confidence than she felt, she eyed the windows one last time and walked through the front door.

The smell of sweat, booze, and bodies assaulted her senses. It took her a moment to adjust to the dimmer interior and the jumble of raised voices. Saiyajins were rarely quiet.

"That prick -"

"Give me that!"

"Then he said -"

"-begged for his life"

"Beat the brat -"

"More drink!"

The familiar cacophony settled her nerves. Saiyajins hadn't changed that much over the years. She headed for the bar not noticing the startled glances and double takes that followed her. Many of the voices were quickly hushed so that by the time she reached Brussel it was quieter than a graveyard. The man in question was polishing a shot glass with his back to the room when he finally noticed the lack of noise. "What the -" He turned and promptly dropped the glass. It shattered on the floor at his feet, unnoticed as he stared speechless.

"Holy goddess..." he mumbled under his breath, unable to take his eyes from her.

Usagi shifted nervously. He had never treated her like this before. "Hey, Brussel. Umm..." When she spoke many of the Saiyajins in the room dropped to their knees. She chose to ignore them simply because she never knew what to say to people who were bowing to her. It was just weird. She wasn't royalty like Trunks, so she had none of the natural arrogance needed to embrace and encourage that kind of behavior. "You don't happen to know where Bardock is, do you?"

The old warrior just blinked and sputtered.

Usagi waited for some kind of answer, but none seemed to be forthcoming, not from anyone. Nervously, she looked around. What was wrong with everyone? Many of the Saiyajins were kneeling low, some were staring at her with awe, while others were muttering prayers under their breaths. Not one addressed her directly. It was if they didn't dare.

Before she could question Brussel further and demand an answer, the front door was slammed open and a whole squad of elites poured into the bar, scanning the area for any threat.

The dark-haired leader stepped forward, "Brussel, our scouters indicated an intruder heading towards your establishment. We're -" The commander stopped when he noticed the unusual silence of the bar. His gaze followed the turned heads and prostrate figures.

Usagi locked eyes with Commander Celeric and grinned. Finally, someone who could answer her questions. She was about to greet him when he dropped to his knees; his squad followed suit. "T-Taresa! May all the cities rejoice! You've returned."

Usagi raised an eyebrow. "Uh...yeah. Just for a little while." This was getting too surreal. She had to talk to someone who was sane soon. "Say, Celeric, I'm looking for Bardock. Is he around?"

Celeric stood and waved to one of his men. "Shrome, you're the fastest. Go, find Captain Bardock, I believe he is in his lab. Tell him. Then, report to the king. He'll want to know of her miraculous return." The warrior bowed to Usagi and then blasted out of the door. It wasn't everyday that he was given a holy mission.

Usagi decided to distract her friend before he had the chance to revert back to his awed stupor. "Commander, how fares your son?"

Celeric smiled and bowed reverently. "The brat will be a strong warrior, just as you prophesied. He has already begun his warrior training and will be sent on his first mission soon." He didn't even attempt to hide the pride in his voice.

She knew that Saiyajins started training as soon as the children were able to walk, but it still startled her how young they were when they were separated from their families and sent out into the world. Celeric's son would be six now. He will be taken in by a team of young warriors and trained to fight in a unit until he comes of age. After he completes his rites of passage and enters into manhood, he'll then be allowed to complete missions on his own. Celeric's son was part of the elite class. In the past, before the death of Vegeta-sei, only the third class babies were sent out into the universe to survive on their own, ignorant of their culture. Some would survive and earn the right to return to their birth planet, others would parish. They were considered expendable. One such infant was Goku, her birth father, which was how he escaped the destruction of his home planet. However, now times had changed. Every Saiyajin was valued, despite their rank. Every Saiyajin was fostered on Vegeta-sei. King Vegeta felt that the perpetuation of their culture was too important. If more Saiyajins had been properly prepared, then there might have been more survivors.

Usagi looked around, struggling to find something else to talk about. The eerie quiet was nerve-wracking. "This place sure has changed." Not only were there windows, but the bar had been expanded to twice its original size. Instead of the stark metal tables, there were wooden booths – an expensive commodity on a planet mostly covered in desert. Every single available space was packed, some people were even standing and drinking; it had never been so crowded before. '_Maybe it's happy hour or something.' _She couldn't quite put her finger on all of the changes, but it looked ... classy. Before, the floor had been slightly sticky from all of the spilled booze and the puddles of dried blood, but now it was intricately tiled and only had a little dried blood. There wasn't an establishment on the entire planet that didn't have a little blood around – Saiyajins liked to fight a little too much.

Brussel grinned. "Business has been good."

Usagi slowly walked around the business studying the changes while warriors quickly scrambled from her path. When she saw a hole punched into the side of the bar, she grinned and was about to comment on the imperfection, but a strange plaque next to the hole caught her attention. '_What's that doing there?'_ She tried to study the strange writing, but couldn't make out the scratchings. Last time she was here there hadn't been time for her to learn to read Saiyajin writing. Something about the hole looked familiar. Before she could ask, the front door burst open.

She saw the familiar haircut and grinned. Finally. "Bardock!" The audience of onlookers was soon forgotten as she flung herself at her grandfather and hugged him with all of her half-Saiyajin strength.

He sputtered in shock and automatically returned her hug. "I thought he was lying. I was coming here to beat Celeric's ass," he rambled aimlessly. After a long moment, he jerked her away and studied her at great length. "Did that bitch kill you? I'm going to -"

Usagi interrupted him before he could describe the detailed torture he had envisioned over the years. "I'm not dead; just visiting." Grinning, she pointed above her head, indicating her lack of a halo.

Bardock blinked. "Visit? You can visit?"

She shifted. "Just this once...for a little while. I can't stay though 'cause I'm not dead." Before he could comment, she edged closer and dropped her voice. "What's going on, Bardock? Why is everyone..." she tilted her head to indicate their speechless audience.

He glanced up and studied the shocked faces surrounding them. Then he snorted with laughter. "They're just surprised. No one actually expected to see you here."

Usagi frowned. "Why not? I like it here."

Bardock shook his head and jerked his thumb behind him. "See those windows?"

Usagi squinted up at the stained glass and really stared. It was very stylized and took her a long moment to place the scene. It was a blond girl wearing silver with wings and she held a baby in her arms. "Is that -" She didn't have time to finish her question because Bardock had already moved on and indicated the hole in the bar.

"Look familiar, Usagi?"

She mentally breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't call her Taresa before returning her attention to the damage. After close study, her memory clicked. "Trunks put that there when he found me!" She addressed Brussel, "You never got that fixed?"

Bardock interrupted. "And he won't either. This place has turned into a landmark of sorts. Many believers come from all over the kingdom."

Usagi raised an eyebrow. "Is his liquor that famous then?" She still didn't understand.

"Not quite. People come to grab an overpriced drink, hear stories about the child Taresa and the Super Saiyajins, and some even hope to catch a glimpse of them should they ever return. You probably gave everyone heart palpitations the minute you walked through that door." He snickered, greatly amused. "I wish I had been here to see it."

"You're seeing it now. No one has really moved much." Usagi was shocked. This place was famous because of her and Trunks?

Bardock glanced around. "Where's the young prince? I didn't think he would ever let you out of his sight."

Usagi winced a little. "Well...he doesn't really know I'm here. Actually, no one really knows I'm here."

Bardock crossed his arms and pinned her with an intense look. "And why is that young lady? You can't go waltzing to other worlds without proper protection! Didn't you make a promise – what did you call it...a pinky swear?"

Usagi flinched. Why was everyone reminding her about that lately? "I couldn't tell him," she rushed to explain indignantly. Only her grandfather could make her feel like this. "He's out in the woods completing his rite of passage."

Everyone blinked. Whispers quickly swept through the crowd. This was news indeed.

Bardock was relentless. "Then you should have waited to make the trip or brought Prince Vegeta."

Usagi gulped. "I couldn't really do that either." She really didn't want to explain to everyone that she was in the middle of her own rite of passage and shouldn't be talking to any men. If she was lucky her Vegeta would never find out about this because she would be in major trouble if he ever did. Technically she wasn't violating the rules...but she was certainly toeing the line.

Bardock opened his mouth, ready to continue drilling her since he could tell that she was definitely keeping something from him, when Shrome appeared in the open doorway, out of breath. "Taresa, the king demands your presence at the palace."

Usagi sagged with relief, something she was sure no other Saiyajin did when they were granted an audience with their ruler. Her grandfather's questions would have to wait. This short reprieve would give her time to figure out what to say.

Suddenly reality hit her again. She couldn't believe that she was back here about to see the King and explaining herself to her grandfather. It was just like old times. She leaped forward and hugged him again. "I missed you so much."

Bardock momentarily lost his frown. He didn't tell her that he missed her too – that would be viewed as a weakness – so he let his hug speak for him. He was surprised to see how much she had grown. It seemed like only last year that she was here cheerfully running circles around him and his crew.

"Will you come with me to see the King?"

Bardock slowly shook his head. "You know it doesn't work like that. I can only go before the King if I'm invited."

She pouted. "But I'm inviting you."

"It's not the same brat."

Usagi frowned. "I don't know how long I can stay." She didn't want to spend even one second away from him. What if she didn't get a chance to say goodbye? However, the whole reason why she was here was to get answers and Bardock couldn't really help her with those. "I need to talk to Fausha anyway. Can you bring her to the palace and when I'm done talking to the King, I can talk to her?"

"Fausha?" Bardock was extremely surprised. Usagi was always a little nervous around older females because of her mother. Sure, by the end of her stay here, she claimed Fausha as her friend, but they were hardly bosom buddies. "What's going on brat?"

She tried not to look guilty and knew by his narrowed eyes that she was failing. "No reason! Will you?"

He sighed and noticed how anxious Shrome was. They couldn't delay much longer or the King would get impatient, and Raseri help the idiot who caused him to lose his temper.

"Fine, brat. I'll bring her. Go, before the King sends out the army to search for you."

She smiled and jogged out the door. Over her shoulder she called to the elite guards. "I'll meet you slowpokes there!" The she disappeared.

"Damn that girl is fast," one of Celeric's crew breathed.

* * *

Usagi walked through the palace reliving her past. This place at least looked the same. The soldiers guarding the entrance to the throne room almost fell over when she suddenly appeared before them. "Y-You -" They sputtered.

She just smiled and waved before stepping through the doors and into King Vegeta's domain. Strangely the room was empty except for the King who regally lounged in his throne and an old Saiyajin draped in soft fabrics who stood off to the side. This was the second time she had ever seen this room clear of all its slaves, servants, and generals. The first time was when she met Raseri's Seer, before the moon's reappearance.

King Vegeta leaned forward and braced his arms against his muscular thighs. "So, you've returned." He looked her over and frowned when he noticed the lack of halo.

The man with the loose clothing, alas Raseri's Seer, quickly bowed low. "Holy Taresa," he breathed in an awed whisper.

Usagi winced. It seemed that everyone was even more reverent since she was last here. Despite how awkward she felt, she wasn't rude enough to ignore his acknowledgment. "Hey, Seer. How are the Order of the Protectors?"

The man rose from his bow and gifted her with a wrinkled smile. "We are well, Holiness. Many have joined our ranks since your last trip into our realm. How fairs the young prince?" '_The possible reborn Raseri,' _he finished mentally.

Usagi shifted. "He's one of the reasons I'm here."

King Vegeta spoke for the first time. "You mean my grandson isn't here protecting you?" He looked over her shoulder at the closed doors. "Where is my son?" he demanded close to a roar.

Usagi gulped. "Funny thing, actually. They don't really know I'm here. I'm just visiting."

The King growled. "It is unwise to travel without protection." He remembered how fragile she was and how easily she broke under Nappa's violence. "What if some aliens were fool enough to invade? You would have walked into a battle and could have been hurt."

She sighed. It seemed like everyone in the royal line felt the need to lecture her. "It was a risk I had to take."

The King growled, not liking how she easily she brushed off his concerns. If it were any other Saiyajin, they would have been soundly thrashed for treating him so flippantly. Of course, if it were any other Saiyajin, he wouldn't have given a damn to begin with since it was their belief that if a Saiyajin couldn't survive, then they weren't worth the breath in their bodies. Better that air be used by a true warrior.

"Why?" Now he was curious. It wasn't everyday that one was visited by a goddess reborn. What would cause her to return to their realm before her death? A chill raced up his spine. '_How is she even here?'_ There was no Saiyajin power that could bring her here, so it must be some otherworldly power. '_Goddess...'_

Raseri's Seer recalled her earlier comment. "Does this have something to do with the young prince?"

Usagi looked between the two men and realized they were the two most qualified to give her answers about her best friend.

"Trunks is completing his rite of passage."

Seer jerked in shock. "When?" He quickly thought to record this epic event in their calendars.

Usagi frowned. "He's been away in the wild for two weeks and a day."

Vegeta frowned. "Seer," he growled a warning.

The man quickly bowed low. "Forgive me, sire. I shan't interrupt again."

Usagi ignored them and thought about what she would tell them. Only the truth would gain her complete answers. "He's been acting very strange these past few months." She rubbed her arms thinking about his glittering black eyes. "He's been so angry and violent. These changes...they scare me." She tilted her chin up proudly, not letting that admission shame her. "My Vegeta says that these reactions are very extreme, even for someone of the royal bloodline."

The King and the Seer exchanged a glance. "Describe these reactions."

So, she did. For over an hour she told them about how slowly he began ordering her around and watching her incessantly, the fishing incident, and then later in the kitchen before he began his month of solitary living. After her explanations, they started asking her specific questions. Usagi felt like she was in one of those court dramas on TV, where the lawyers or the cops were drilling the bad guys. What they found most interesting were the eye changes, the blood red power glow, and her observations when she was healing him of his rage.

The two men kept exchanging weighted looks, but it was the smug smirks on their faces that finally clued her in on the fact that they knew something she did not. "What aren't you telling me?"

The King indicated the holy man should answer.

Raseri's Seer debated on the best way to tell her something so life changing. "Taresa, do you remember what I last dreamed of before you left last time?"

Usagi frowned and searched her memory. "You said that a great power was coming. That my mate was coming for me." She frowned, not sure where this was going. "You were wrong though 'cause it was only Vegeta and Trunks."

Seer slowly shook his head. "Taresa, I am rarely wrong. I believe that your mate did come for you that day."

"Vegeta already has a mate." She explained carefully. "Besides, that would be just gross."

King Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Come on, brat, think!"

Her eyes widened comically. "Trunks? You think Trunks...No way! He's my best friend."

Seer patiently explained, giving her time to overcome her obvious shock. "You are the goddess Taresa reborn. Your mate, the Great Raseri, would also be reborn to see to your protection. He would not allow you to walk the mortal realm alone. Of course he would choose to be reborn to the royal bloodline – not only is it the most powerful, the most revered, but it spawned from his original mortal form."

Usagi shook her head in denial, not wanting to hear his logic.

The warrior priest continued. "This blood red power is the power of our planet. A planet that is no longer a part of your existence. Prince Vegeta, as the last prince born on this planet, should be the last to wield it. How else, besides divine intervention, could his son also wield it and with greater intensity? If he were a god reborn, this would explain such a miracle.

"The change in his eye color? The black of his eyes is his Saiyajin heritage dominating the human portion of his genetics. A sentient beast of power? It is his godhood exerting itself. According to legend, this rage can be intense, but the power of Taresa and the moon calms him – just as you did before he set off on his holy rite of passage. This is your purpose – to provide balance."

Usagi paled, remembering the legend Bardock told her those years ago.

"Do not fear this power; it will never harm you. He is your mate, Taresa. The sooner you accept this, the easier it will be for you." The King and the Seer shared a frown when they noticed how distressed she appeared. Her face was pale, sweat glistened on her brow, and her breaths came in short gasps.

"Impossible..." she whispered fiercely to herself.

Before they could comment, she turned on her heel and darted out of the room faster than their eyes could track.

The King sighed. "That went well," his sarcasm echoed through the silent throne room.

Seer gently rubbed his aging brow. "She better learn to accept this because Raseri has little patience when it comes to his mate."

* * *

Usagi stumbled blindly down the hallway too caught up in her thoughts to concentrate on her direction. '_Impossible,'_ she kept repeating to herself. Trunks was her best friend! He was her only anchor, her only constant through life. He was her protector and her shield. She didn't want that to change. Change scared her. There was always the chance that life could get worse. '_The devil you know over the devil you don't.'_

Relationships changed people. She thought about Chichi and how crazy she turned because of Goku. Even Vegeta and Bulma fought all the time, sure it was mostly harmless, but she couldn't bear it if her and Trunks were always at each other's throats. Every stupid reality TV show flashed through her mind leaving her with only one conclusion. People went crazy when they dated. She remembered one obsessed boy threatening to kill himself if his ex didn't come back, likewise a girl got so depressed that she barely ate and wouldn't speak for months when her boyfriend dumped her. There were so many tears cried in the name of love that Usagi had decided that it just wasn't for her. Ever since her mother, she tried to spare herself pain whenever possible and falling in love seemed to be very painful. After all they went through, neither she nor Trunks deserved that kind of trauma. Usagi didn't want anything like that to happen to them. '_I won't let it change.'_

A small part of her mind kept whispering that it was too late. Why else would Trunks be acting so possessive? She shook her head and stumbled towards the main palace entrance. '_We will only ever be friends.' _Desperately she clung to her determination as if it were the last piece of driftwood bobbing in a turbulent sea.

She threw open the palace gates and ran straight into Bardock's arms.

"What the hell, brat?"

She clung tightly, just like she did her first day here so many years ago. Her whole world had turned upside down again. Lost and alone. What would happen if she lost Trunks? In so many movies, a great love morphed into a great hate. Would that happen to them? '_I refuse to love him like that.'_

Bardock exchanged a startled look with his female lieutenant. '_What the hell did the king say?' _For a brief moment he entertained the insane idea of marching into the throne room and demanding answers. '_Yeah, and then I would be nothing but an angry bloody smudge on the floor.' _It pissed him off that his granddaughter was here for barely two hours and she was already upset.

"What's wrong brat? Why are you upset?" If he didn't know, he couldn't help her.

She just shook her head and continued to cling to him, trembling in silence from her emotional turmoil.

He sighed. "Look, Usagi, I brought Fausha just like you wanted." He hoped it was enough to cheer her or at least distract her from her woes. No such luck. So, he sighed in defeat and pulled her tighter into his arms. Years ago she explained the purpose of hugging. "You're not alone, brat. We're here for you."

Usagi breathed in his special scent – a mix of leather and something she likened to gasoline, probably from his lab and whatever invention he was currently perfecting – and let it calm her racing thoughts. She was starting to get a killer headache from all the stress.

Fausha silently noted all of the changes between this teenager and the girl from her memories. That same female intuition nagged at her conscience. "Captain, I'll take her."

Bardock frowned at his teammate and tightened his hold. He wasn't comfortable letting Usagi out of his sight when she was this upset. He was about to deny her request, when Usagi slowly pushed away from his embrace. She quickly wiped her watering eyes, bowing her head to keep him from seeing her disheveled state.

"I-It's okay, Bardock. I'm better now."

He didn't believe that for a second.

Usagi glanced back to Fausha. "I don't know how much time I have here, so I should ask my questions while I have the chance." Even though she felt like she would shatter if she heard any more revelations, she was determined not to waste this opportunity. Her emotional display embarrassed her. '_What does Bardock think of me now?' _She was too cowardly to ask him.

"I am curious about these questions," Bardock crossed his arms.

Usagi paled further. There was no way she was going to ask with him standing there. He was bound to be disappointed when he realized that she was almost breaking the rules to her rites of passage. Silence stretched between the trio.

Finally, Bardock gave in with a sigh. This same hesitation happened when he gave her the translator device years ago. He knew that he wouldn't get a peep from her. It irritated him to feel left out of the loop. Now he knew what the rest of his crew must have felt when he took her to have a private conversation at Brussel's Bar. He flicked a glance at Fausha and hoped that she would share her questions with him at a later date.

"Fine, brat. I'll leave you two alone to talk. If you need anything, I'll be at Brussel's Bar with the rest of the crew. They want to see you too." He glared at Fausha, a silent message to take care of her, before blasting off towards the horizon.

Fausha let the silence hold for a long moment as they both gathered their thoughts. She motioned with her hand and set off for the sandy hills in the distance and away from the elite's prying ears. If privacy was what the young girl was after, they would have to be far from here.

"You may be able to fool all of the men," Fausha started, determined to start off this conversation with hard honesty. "Bardock should know better, but since he's a direct relation, of course he missed your changing scent."

Usagi stumbled. "W-Wha? You could tell?"

Fausha grinned. "Of course I could tell. When you came out of the palace, I noticed that something was causing a few of the soldiers to be uneasy. Men are usually clueless, but I think that no one _wants_ to solve this particular puzzle because to think of you as anything less than unattainable would be blasphemous. After all, your mate would be Raseri, the ultimate fighter, and believe me, none of those idiots measure up." She laughed at the elite's expense.

For the first time, Usagi really appreciated the woman's intuition and uncanny knack for discerning the heart of a problem. "Do you think Prince Trunks is Raseri reincarnated?" She wondered if everyone thought that, or if it was just the King and the Seer's shared delusion.

'_So that's what upset her.' _Fausha thought for a long moment. "I am not sure. I only saw the young prince briefly."

Usagi chewed her lip and waited for the woman to continue. The palace was long behind them leaving only a sea of burning sand to stretch as far as the eye could see.

"From what I remember, the prince was very powerful. Raseri's reincarnation would have to not only have power but know how to use it. He also gave you justice. Raseri is known to be brutally ruthless but fair. Those are traits that I saw in Prince Trunks."

Usagi flinched.

Fausha studied her pained features. "He protected you and seemed to genuinely care for you, has that changed in these last few years?"

Usagi shook her head.

"Then why does this displease you? Many females want a mate to be both attentive and protective."

She sighed. "I don't want anything to change. I like our friendship too much to risk it."

Fausha sighed. "You have a lot to learn about mates."

Usagi's curiosity overcame her reticence. "If I tell you something, will you promise not to speak of it?"

Fausha studied her worried face for a long moment, feeling somewhat taken aback that this young goddess would want her confidence. Without any hesitation, she held out her pinky, "I swear my silence, Taresa."

Usagi giggled and looped her pinky with the woman's. Apparently everyone knew of her pinky swearing. The image of big burly Saiyajin warriors growling at each other and looping pinkies had her biting back a giggle. She firmly pushed all thoughts of Trunks and Raseri from her mind. It would be weeks before she saw him. There was plenty of time to dwell on this strange turn of events when she was back at home completing her period of seclusion. Now, however, time was precious. She needed answers.

"I am currently undergoing my rite of passage."

Fausha stumbled and sat down hard on a nearby rock formation. "Currently? You shouldn't have talked to any men! You -You..." she trailed off completely flabbergasted by this turn of events. The rituals were sacred and old. It was unthinkable that Taresa herself would violate such an ancient rite.

"It's a little complicated. When I return, no time will have passed for me. I will still complete my month of seclusion there. There are no other Saiyajin females in my realm," she hastened to explain, seeing the woman's shocked face. "Vegeta said that normally adult females would teach me everything about being a woman. I didn't want to miss any instruction, so I came here to learn," she trailed off uncertainly. "Will you teach me?"

Fausha attempted to gather her scattered thoughts. This was unorthodox and absolutely unheard of, but she could hardly blame her. If she hadn't returned then she wouldn't be able to fully understand the ancient tradition. She would have been slighted in an important part of their culture. Fausha snorted, trying to imagine Prince Vegeta instructing the teen on what it meant to be a Saiyajin female. '_Oh, to be a fly on the wall during that particular conversation.'_

"I am honored, beyond honored that you would ask me, a mere third class warrior, but why not ask the priestesses? Surely they are more qualified."

Usagi toyed with a small pebble, rubbing it between her fingers. "I don't trust them. I am the daughter of a third class warrior; your rank is sufficient for me."

This humbled Fausha. She remembered how apprehensive the girl was when she first arrived on Vegeta-sei. After the amount of abuse Bardock later described, she was surprised that the girl could find it in herself to trust any female ever again. To be one of the few exceptions was a great honor. "Then, it would be my pleasure."

* * *

Fausha took her to a secluded cliff side cave that was just beyond one of the precious few oases. The stones that lined the mouth of the cave were painted white. "Why white?" she asked, suddenly full of questions.

"White is your color, Taresa. The color of moonlight. Since you are our only goddess, females revere you and pray to you for special guidance. Surely, Raseri's Seer explained this during your last visit."

Usagi blushed. "He did, but I didn't know that Taresa was important for this ritual."

Fausha smiled. "Do not trouble yourself. The female's rite of passage is a time where guidance is especially sought after; so young girls often invoke Taresa, or the Goddess as you're often called, to help them through the transition."

Usagi frowned. '_Surely she doesn't expect me to pray to myself.'_

The inside of the cave was lavishly furnished. Ornate pillows of crimson red and gold covered the rocky floor. The cave walls were not jagged, as she supposed, but the stone appeared to be worn smooth after countless hands touched them over centuries of rituals. Most of the walls were covered in sheer fabric that ranged in many different colors, making the cave seem more like a welcoming tent than a product of nature. Candles lined the floor, flickering with every step they made, casting shadows against the ceiling. Overall, the surroundings were rich and comfortable.

"The girls of the capital all have their lunar cycle of seclusion here. Some families that are willing and able will even travel from other parts of the planet, so that their daughters will have use of this sacred place." Fausha turned, "I know that you do not have so much time among us, but I wanted you to see this."

Usagi looked around with awe. "This is certainly a lot better than my room at home. This place is huge!"

Fausha nodded. "Just because females are secluded from all male contact doesn't mean we can't keep each other's thoughts and confidences. Many friendships are made here. This cave is usually filled to the brim, and the incessant chatter often drives the priestesses to distraction."

Usagi studied the living spaces and could practically see the ghosts of many dark-haired girls lounging on the pillows and propped against the walls gossiping and giggling together. Some would whispered to each other and blush. Others would play games and spar. It would be like a month long sleepover! Of course, a month in Saiyajin terms was much longer than a mere four weeks. Fausha didn't pause and look with her but had descended further into the depths of the cave. Usagi quickly followed, not wanting to get lost no matter how fascinating she found her surroundings.

Fausha pushed aside a hanging cloth and ducked into a hidden chamber. When Usagi followed, she stopped and stared in awe at all of the primitive drawings that decorated the walls. There were pictures of the moon in all of its cycles, scratchings that she identified as Saiyajin writings – what they said, she did not know – and the most recent of all was a rough outline of her, as a child. It was the crescent moon on the figure's forehead that gave it away.

"Just because we do not traditionally draw, doesn't mean we can't. These are by no means masterpieces; many of the girls just get bored during their time here. Most will make their mark, carve their names, the most daring are the ones who draw." Fausha slowly paced the parameters of the room and reverently touched a collection of scratchings in one corner. "I carved this myself when I was your age."

Usagi glanced at the wall, curious. "What does it say?"

"Nothing worth your time." She turned to go. "There is much more to see."

Usagi stayed her with a gentle grip on her shoulder. "What does it say?"

Fausha shook her head. "It is silly."

Usagi simply held her gaze and waited.

The warrior woman sighed. "The priestesses encouraged us to write about our feelings about this transition. Some wrote clever sayings. I wrote a poem." She focused her gaze above the young girl's head. She didn't need to squint at the faint markings, instead she recited from memory.

"_There is a place..._

_Where trees are older than memory,_

_magic is in the rain,_

_and the Goddess is in the wind._

_I am there,_

_wrapped in my male's arms,_

_safe and loved._

_Soothed by the damp smell of the black earth,_

_warmed by the last rays of light..._

_Soon darkness will fall_

_But the wind whispers through the rain and the leaves,_

_Not yet..._

_Not yet..._

"It is beautiful." Usagi thought that the oasis outside the cave was probably the inspiration for the nature imagery. The soil there was black and fertile and the trees were big and ancient. She liked getting a glimpse at a younger, softer Fausha who was a little wishful about love and a lot apprehensive about her future. It was heartening to know that Saiyajin females didn't have their every waking thought concerned with blood and violence.

Fausha gave a short laugh. "It is silly because I do not need a mate to make me happy and I keep my own self safe. Come. There is more to see." Fausha led the way further into the cave where the passage veered sharply to the right. Ahead there was a chamber that had a faint glow. Usagi was shocked to find something besides candlelight. This new cavern had a round hole in its ceiling that let in sunlight and a narrow stream of water that trickled down the far wall. The light glittered over its surface and reflected back to the ceiling. Jutting pieces of rock had long since worn away until only faint impressions nudged and guided the stream.

"We call this the Weeping Wall."

Usagi touched her fingers to the cool stone, forcing the stream to part over her fingers and the light to flicker across her face. "Why?"

"As you may have noticed, Saiyajins do not like to cry. Not for joy or sadness. Not for loss or frustration. Females have a harder time with this lack, I believe. During this period of seclusion we conquer this predisposition. The Wall symbolizes the countless tears that will never be shed. Tears are useless. They do not bring back the dead. They do not help to win battles. Tears only expend time and energy that is better used elsewhere. Tears force you to concentrate on the past when, to succeed, one must focus only on the future.

"We do not know where this spring originates, but the priestesses will often use it to describe what it means to be a woman."

Usagi pressed her hand flat against the wet stone and concentrated on the woman's voice. The continuous trickling of water created an intimate atmosphere. Her lesson was finally starting.

"Saiyajin men are bold, brash, reckless, and angry." Fausha grinned thinking how the priestesses would have prettied up the terminology. They would all be furious to know she was instructing the goddess reborn. "Females are more fluid and constant, like this spring. We are loyal to our mates, to our king, and most importantly, to ourselves. A woman must be strong in her convictions, steadfast in her beliefs, and have an innate sense of what is right and wrong.

"Our men are often gone for months or even years at a time; so it falls to the females to raise our brats. We must guide them, discipline them, and teach them what it means to belong to such a proud race. If a woman lacks strength of conviction, then she will fail and the brat will disgrace our noble heritage.

"Women are slow to anger," Fausha grinned here, "But if angered, we often hold grudges. Vindictiveness doesn't even begin to describe it. The men will get angry, shout and beat each other bloody. Patience and fortitude are a woman's greatest weapons. If we bide our time, we usually get what we want. Let the men fight; let the women orchestrate it." The lesson continued well into the afternoon. Fausha explained that much of this information was supposed to be given with proper pomp and circumstance - chanting, dancing, and dramatic displays that they both had neither the time nor the inclination to deal with. Instead she spoke with hard honesty and Usagi listened, frantically committing her words to memory. Just because she did not ever want to love, didn't mean that Gohan wouldn't soon ask Videl, his long-term girlfriend, to marry him or that Goten wouldn't find someone to cuddle with. She didn't want to think about Trunks' future; but her brothers would one day have children, and if any of their offspring were female, then it was her duty to pass down these precious pieces of their heritage.

They discussed the specifics of mating and motherhood. Usagi blushed fiercely and was grateful for the semi-darkness of the cave. Apparently, Saiyajins mated for life. When two partners chose each other, the male would mark the female and create something like a soul bind. Fausha couldn't give her a personal accounting since she had yet to "meet a male worthy enough", but knew it to be a connection between the pair's emotions that would only grow more intense at the approach of the next full moon. Usagi already knew that lunar cycles were very important to Saiyajin culture and rituals; she knew it had a lot to do with the fact that Taresa was the moon goddess, and that the power of the Ozzaru was unleashed under the incentive of moonlight. By the next full moon the pre-mated pair would consummate their union and be joined for life. Fausha cautioned that since divorce was completely foreign to Saiyajin culture, one should chose wisely.

"What happens if the couple doesn't ... er..." Usagi blushed fiercely. "'Consummate their union' on the full moon?"

Fausha frowned in thought. "From my understanding, the soul bind and the mark are powerful compulsions. Such a thing has yet to happen in all of Saiyajin history."

Usagi was too embarrassed to ask more questions, so she settled on nodding for the last of the lecture. After the lesson ended, the atmosphere between the two was decidedly grave while Fausha slowly led her away from the Weeping Wall and out into the main cavern. Usagi paused when she passed the opening of the Marking Hall. "You've taught me everything, right?" she inquired.

"All that I was taught by the priestesses when I was your age."

Usagi pushed back the colored fabric and stepped back into the Marking Hall. She studied the walls, searching for a place that wasn't already scored with a note or a name. There was no such place, so she squatted down next to Fausha's poem, grabbed a piece of loose stone, and started scratching.

"What does it say?" Now it was Fausha's turn to try and decipher the curved letters of foreign writing.

Usagi tossed down the rock and touched her mark. "It says, 'Son Usagi, a proud Saiyajin daughter from Earth'."

The older woman smiled. "Somehow, I think the priestesses are going to freak when they see that."

Usagi shrugged. "They won't know what it says. I just wanted to leave my mark here like so many others who have come before me." Mentally she confided, '_It's nice to be a part of something.'_

Before she could turn, a huge gust of wind tugged hard at her clothing. Her heart sank when she spun around and saw a dark swirling vortex, identical to the one that brought her here. Apparently, her time here had ended. Her mission was complete - she came for answers and the moment she gained them was the moment she was to return. She wished she had time to say goodbye to Bardock, wished she had taken the time to speak with him before she and Fausha talked. Usagi turned to Fausha, who stood gaping in shock. "Tell Bardock that I'm sorry I didn't have time to say goodbye. Tell him that I think about him all the time and that I miss him." The warrior woman had yet to break her gaze from the swirl of energy. Usagi tugged hard at her armor, "Fausha! Did you hear me? Tell Bardock that I love him, okay?" The woman just nodded and watched as her young friend jogged into the vortex and disappeared from their planet for the second time.

Usagi stumbled back into her room with a thundering heart and a bittersweet smile on her face. She studied the strange woman who still held her equally strange staff; and she knew that no time had passed. "Couldn't you have let me say goodbye at least?"

Setsuna smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, princess; but it is best not to influence the timeline any longer than absolutely necessary." The woman studied her charge's tense face. "I'll give you some time to process everything that you've learned; after all, that is the purpose of this period of seclusion, is it not?" If there was one thing she knew above all else, it was that given enough time, all questions would be answered.

Usagi nodded numbly and watched as the woman waved her hand causing the staff to disappear. With a graceful flourish, the green-haired woman turned on her heel and quietly exited the room. A few hours later, the fierce storm outside finally dissipated. However, it went unnoticed by the girl huddled under her blanket, deep in thought.

Usagi spent the next few days mulling over how she could become a woman who would proudly uphold her Saiyajin heritage. After a week of introspection, Usagi made two pivotal realizations: the first, that she would not risk pain or jeopardize her friendship with Trunks by falling in love, no matter what the King and the Seer thought; the second, if she was going to put space between them, then she would have to learn to stand alone. She thought Fausha had the right philosophy - she didn't need anyone else to be happy and safe. It was time Usagi learned to stand up for herself. She waited for Setsuna to deliver lunch before speaking the first time in over a week. "Teach me. I'm ready."

* * *

AN: Review and tell me what you think! SummerThunder - :) I'm not telling. Understand that Usagi doesn't have a clue what he's thinking. Not yet anyway. erikatufts - she doesn't have to kick Saiyajin but 'cause Trunks already did that for her, plus she doesn't know how to fight, remember? MinakoXokaniM - the twists keep coming; Cosmic-lover - that doesn't sound wrong. Trunks needs some challenges - and they've only just started, you realized the heart of the Saiyajin male tradition - to instill confidence and control, thanks for the long review; Crystal Moon Magic - I'll explain about past lives in the next chappy or two; don't worry, there is no Darien; SachiNyoko - more SM characters are coming; Failisse - you're right, she only has the inner's powers, yes, i'm glad the scene was sufficiently gory :) that was the intent; Thanks everyone for your reviews! They help to inspire me! Keep 'em coming.


	29. Coming Home

Chapter 28

'_It's time.'_ Trunks glanced down at the last notch on his stick and counted the 28 marks for the hundredth time. He positively hummed with satisfaction. This trial was nearly over. '_Only one final test and I can see her.'_ If he knew his father, then he knew that this test would be the hardest yet to come. After the immediate threat of survival passed, he spent his last weeks training. He refused to allow a full month to pass without honing his fighting skills. Now his body was leaner, harder, and faster than ever before. Whatever test his father had planned, he would triumph.

Trunks gathered his meager belongings - his deerskin hide, the threadbare pants he set out in that were mangled and faded almost beyond recognition, the crude stone-tipped spear because one never knew what lurked in the woods, and a handful of nuts to curb his appetite on the trek home. For a long moment he studied the clearing that had been his home for the past month. Lessons had been learned here that he would not soon forget. This past month saw him triumphing over challenges, humbled by frustrations, and steeled with an inner resolve. Now it was time for him to return to civilization; but he would be much changed. '_I wonder if Usa will even recognize me._' He glanced down at his tanned chest, half-covered in deer hide and grinned. He felt half wild and glorified in the freedom of it. A strange desire crept from his heart. Returning to civilization meant being confided by the rules and expectations of others. Why should he change to be more civilized? '_Instead, I should change civilization to suit me.'_ With that thought, he started into the surrounding forest. The shade of the canopy provided cool relief from the burning sun.

The warrior prince didn't realize that he walked with a new found stealth that rivaled any jungle predator. His eyes were stark and flat, even as they scanned the surrounding underbrush for possible threats or a quick meal. He stood tall, confident in his place in the world, knowing his destiny would soon be laid out at his feet. The power in his blood hummed with each thrum of his pulse. No longer was the power held separate, but now, he could feel it seeping into his conscience. There was little struggle anymore. It simply folded around his spirit, like a worn in glove. He was the fist to wield it. The first time he felt this melding of spirit, he panicked, thinking that this coating of power may color his perception of his surroundings. While, yes, he was the fist; all the world could only be felt through the glove. How would his perception of the world change? '_It doesn't matter,'_ he kept reassuring himself. '_The __new power is worth it.'_ He knew things now. He felt connected, confident, like he could hold the world beneath his heel and the universe in the palm of his hand.

The hours passed as he waded through streams, jumped fallen trees, and darted across clearings. Thanks to the torrential downpours of the rains the past few weeks, the path he traveled was vastly different than it was a mere month ago. What were once creeks were now rivers. What was once damp patches of earth and leaves, were now deep marshes and bogs. Wildlife was scarce. It seemed as if nature herself didn't wish to bring down the wrath of the determined warrior. Trunks knew better. So in tune with his new power, he sensed that nature was not yet done testing him.

The attack came while he waded across a river bloated with the recent rains. He clutched his spear and deerskin above his head and swam bare-chested across the rushing current. The river swept along all manor of debris - logs, whole trees even, dead bloated carcasses of wild animals unfortunate enough to fall into the current, and rocks. The water was nearly black with all the churning mud and clumps of leaves swirling across its surface. It would be suicide for a human to cross such a glutted tributary in its headlong rush towards the sea. Fortunately, Trunks was more than human. His powerful legs propelled him steadily through the water. It was slow going because he kept having to dodge the dead animals barreling towards him. Trees were little problems since if they came close, he could break them with one hand. Still, the current took him further downstream than he was expecting. '_It'll be at least an hour of backtracking to reach the landing site I was shooting for.'_ His jaw clenched at the unwanted delay. If only he could fly.

The angry energy boiled up and yanked him from his distraction to notice one log was not like the rest. Trunks jerked around to stare into the glassy reptilian eyes of a creature that had walked the earth for 200 million years. Its long tail flicked back and forth, propelling him closer. Trunks didn't waste time wondering why the animal didn't want the countless free meals floating by, but wrapped his deerskin hide around one arm and clutched his spear one-handed. He silently cursed himself for leaving behind his makeshift knives because something told him that his spear would do little good against those hard scales. Even though, technically, he reached his 28th day without using ki, the day wasn't over yet so he immediate dismissed simply blasting the creature into oblivion.

Suddenly, the glassy eyes reared up to reveal a mouthful of razor sharp bony teeth already stained with blood and rotting flesh. Trunks darted to the side and briefly shuddered at the slow glide of scales against his leg. The beast turned on a dime, but he quickly grabbed a passing tree and shoved it between them. Trunks grinned and his eyes glittered with blood lust. The giant alligator dodged under the missile, but Trunks didn't waste time looking for it to resurface. He climbed onto the side of a floating cow and vaulted into the air. With a giant leap, he splashed further down the river, giving himself space to breathe and think. Mostly he was reacting on instinct because the attack was so sudden. This month spent in the wild taught him another valuable lesson - all the fighting skills in the world were useless when faced with beasts. Like the first giant fish he hunted, what use was strength and a perfect fighting form, when the creature could slip through his grasp and didn't have legs to trip? He would have to fight the beast on its would terms.

A flash of jagged scales were his only warning before gaping jaws reared up from the water. '_Close. Too close.'_ Trunks threw up his arm at the last second and shoved away. A few bony teeth snagged against the soaked deerskin. The beast flipped its tail and rolled them under. Trunks felt the deer hide rend to pieces against his forearm, but used the creature's momentum to wrap his body around its back. His knees clenched hard around its heaving sides. He gritted his teeth and ignored the frantic scraping of the claws of its back feet against his exposed calves. When they broke the surface, Trunks took a quick breath.

They rolled under again.

He jerked his arm loose of the deerskin cover, raised the spear and impaled it in the gator's vulnerable underbelly. Wounded, the creature frantically snapped its jaws, seeking exposed flesh; but Trunks ducked in close, wrapped his arms around the beast's head and squeezed with his whole body. His knees clenched hard and his arms started choking the writhing creature. The current pummeled them both with jagged rocks and snapping branches, but Trunks held his breath and held on. His superhuman strength was stretched to the max until, finally, the thrashing slowed. He didn't know how much time had passed, but he lay there momentarily spent. Man and beast bobbed with the current, until Trunks shook himself from his stupor and swam towards the shore. His deerskin and spear were lost in the struggle, so with use of all four limbs, he gained the far shore in record time. It wasn't until he was walking upstream that he noticed he was grinning. Maybe he had grinned the whole time.

* * *

The sun started dipping below the horizon to turn the sky bright orange and magenta by the time Trunks stepped onto the front lawn of his home. The building looked much the same, but Trunks realized with a start, that he held little sentimental value for the place of his childhood. Always before he felt a connection, ownership, even pride in his home; but now he realized those were inconsequential feelings. It was a place to sleep, nothing more. _He_ made his home. It traveled with him and was no longer dependent on a fragile structure. His gaze shifted to the seated figure of his father, who was deep in meditation. Trunks noted how the man's eyes were open and fixed on some infinite point in the grass and his form was relaxed. '_Has he been waiting for me all day?'_

A few more steps took him across the huge expanse of the yard.

Vegeta slowly climbed to his feet and was about to make a sarcastic remark on the boy's timing, but the words died on his tongue when he stared at his son for the first time in nearly a month. There was never any doubt that the brat would survive - no one of his noble line could do less. What he hadn't expected was to miss him so much. The prince studied his only son for a long moment. His son's once bright hair was now brown with river muck. Leaves and twigs were tangled so tightly in the knotted strands, they would have to be cut free. His arms were lean and sculpted. His collarbone poked against the muscle, telling of weeks of harsh living. Vegeta absently noted his tanner skin and the countless scratches that marred his chest. Blood steadily trickled down his ankles and the sides of his bare feet. In short, his son looked mean and hungry. '_Not hungry for food, although he'll probably have a fierce appetite,'_ Vegeta observed to himself, '_But hungry for action...for battle.'_ He stared into his son's eyes and matching him with a cold stare of his own.

They studied each other for a long moment, but Trunks was content to wait. He had waited for a whole month, what did a few more minutes matter? His father would have to break silence first.

Pride swelled in Vegeta's chest. Maybe the boy had finally learned patience. "You survived to return home." Vegeta crossed his arms. "You entered into the wilderness the same way you entered into this world - with nothing. All advantages of your birth and your circumstances were stripped away, leaving only your wit and your will to live. That you stand here is tribute to your trainers and your skills." He slowly circled around his son, carefully placing one foot in front of the other, so as not to startle the half wild thing. "But, survival alone is not enough to be a man. Any animal can run and hide and crawl back to their den. To be a man is to conquer all obstacles, to adapt, to flourish where those lesser would fail. Now we will test those skills."

Vegeta pulled out a long black strip of cloth. "If you did not feed yourself adequately, then your strength will fail you. If you did not flourish on your own, then you would not have the time to devote to training. If you languished your time away, then your lack of discipline will be your downfall." He firmly tied the cloth around his son's eyes. "Now, I give you an obstacle you must overcome. We will spar, and I will see exactly what you have been doing with your time alone."

Trunks tilted his head and strained his eyes, but to no avail. The darkness was complete. There wasn't a gap for even one ray of light to lead him. "I have completed my period of isolation. Will ki be permitted in this spar, father?"

Vegeta smirked and glanced at the lowering sun. "The day has not yet ended."

Without warning Vegeta kicked low and swept the legs out from under his son. Trunks let his momentum carry him forward and somersaulted perfectly to land on his feet. A faint rustle of waning footsteps signaled that his father was heading away, probably wanting to get away from the house and out into the open. Trunks shrugged and followed. He didn't want one of them to ruin the house and possible endanger Usagi. '_Usa...'_ For a moment, his attention was dominated by the thought that he was closer to her now then he'd been in a month. Briefly, he considered abandoning this fight to search the house for her. '_Focus,'_ his mind cautioned. His father was a ruthless opponent who would require all of his attention, especially since he was blindfolded. '_Damn Dad and his stupid tests.'_

Trunks stumbled to a halt, sensing that he was far from the house. The late afternoon smells drifted around him - the jasmine that bloomed in the evening and the smell of freshly cut grass from one of the distant neighbors. Not a sound gave away his father's position, but a warning sense had him diving from a fist from heaven. "Not fair! You're flying."

He heard his father chuckle. "I'm already a man. I can use ki whenever I fucking want to."

Trunks gritted his teeth when he heard the familiar crackling of energy. It was the building heat that enabled him to flip over and dodge every ki ball while slowly moving forward. Especially without his eyesight, he knew that he couldn't dodge forever. He'd have to get close enough to force his dad to fight hand-to-hand. Every time he got close, his dad would laugh tauntingly and fly back. It was maddening. Trunks felt the familiar mercurial churn of rage course through him. Apparently his power wasn't fond of the cat and mouse game either. '_I refuse to be the mouse.'_

He froze. For some reason he just _knew_ that the sun finally set. '_The day__ is over.'_ With a merciless grin, Trunks called on his ki for the first time in so long. The ground trembled beneath his feet. A crackle of energy danced up his body and sent his muscles twitching. He would have spent the whole night reveling in the renewed sensations, but a displacement of air signaled something high. Trunks blocked the kick with his forearm and retaliated with a barrage of ki punches. It was time to end this silly game. A quick thought flashed across his mind. '_The sooner this ends, the sooner I can see Usa.'_ He grinned and launched himself at this father. He grabbed him by the waist and threw him to the ground.

They were on each other like a couple of rabid dogs. Punches flew, blood arched, and growls of rage and frustration echoed across the yard. Vegeta kept trying to land more than one hit at a time, but as soon as he connected, his son would dart away and attack from a different direction.

Trunks couldn't see to block most of the blows, so he just put up with the pain or dodged. Soon pain didn't even register to his rage-fogged brain, only the will to dominate.

Vegeta threw the boy back a fair distance and blasted him with one of his more powerful attacks.

Trunks just grinned and waited for it to hit him.

The older prince stared in shock, when the blinding flash cleared and he saw his son standing, untouched, with a glowing symbol of their people scored on his forehead. "Impossible..."

Trunks' grin slipped away when he noticed that his father stopped moving, stopped _breathing._ Something wasn't right. The sudden uncertainty after such a flood of confidence was enough to bury the burning rage. "Dad? What is it?"

Vegeta stared at his son, watching the last of the red symbol slowly fade, and didn't know what to think. He would have to spend a lot of time training to work out this puzzle. It was almost nice to have a new mystery to tackle. "Nothing, son. The fight is over." There was no way he was going to tempt the power awake again. He wasn't willing to fight his son to the death. Carefully, he untied the black fabric. When he saw the familiar crystal blue eyes of his son, he breathed a sigh of relief. Vegeta launched a ki blast and set a nearby tree aflame. The crackle of burning wood blended with the rising sounds of the crickets.

Trunks followed his father and let the warmth of the fire chase away the slight chill of the evening. Trunks shivered slightly, goosebumps danced up his bare chest. His father folded the blindfold and gently mopped away all of the blood from his calves where the alligator scratched him, from his chest where the river rocks scraped him, and from the various wounds won in the fight. Trunks stood passively and watched the older man toss the sopping fabric into the flames.

"The first drops of blood as a man are a fitting sacrifice to the War god, Raseri."

Trunks frowned in confusion and stood next to his father as they watched the last of the black cloth whither and burn to ash.

"Trunks."

He was startled when his father addressed him by name, something he rarely did.

"You're mother is anxious. She took the day off to be here." He clasped him on the shoulder. "Welcome home."

He blinked and stared at the mansion, not comprehending that it was over. After the struggle of the past month, it didn't seem real. Slowly a grin stretched across his face and he sped across the yard faster than he'd ever moved in his life. His mother had already thrown open the door and was wrapping him in a fierce hug before he caught site of her.

She kept trying to talk, but the words came out in unintelligible stutters. Finally, she gave up and laughed at her sorry condition. She pushed him at arms length and gasped. Her shock helped her find her voice at last. "Into the shower! You smell worse than a skunk in a sewer. And your hair!" she admonished.

Trunks rolled his eyes and marched himself to the bathroom.

"I'll have dinner ready by the time you're done!" she called after his retreating back.

It took half a bottle of shampoo and a sturdy pair of scissors to finally return his hair to its normal lavender softness. His cut was shorter than he was used to, but it would grow back. '_Hopefully Usa will like it.'_ If not, then he'd go get it professionally styled. For whatever reason, she hadn't been downstairs to greet him, but he was grateful. He didn't want to look like a ragged smelly waif the first time she saw him after so long. '_I'll be perfect.'_ The hot water beat down over his shoulders and he literally groaned with pleasure. Hot water was a luxury he'd gladly never again do without - cold streams and frigged waterfalls were not even close. The river muck, leaves, and accumulated grime was carefully soaped off to reveal smooth bronzed skin underneath. He ducked his head under the streaming water and washed the last month away, wincing at the sting of the bruises and cuts from his recent spar. Hopefully his dad didn't disfigure his face.

By the time the hot water started getting cold, a small eternity later, Trunks stepped from the shower and grinned at the small pile of folded clothes waiting for him. His mom had probably planned his return outfit for days. He shrugged and dressed quickly, it would cost him nothing to please her with this small thing. Besides, she had good taste. After a month of hard living, his body had changed and the clothes didn't fit quite the same. Trunks frowned over the feeling of actually clothes. The soft fabrics seemed almost alien to him. Again, he shrugged. It wasn't as if he could run around half naked anymore; not that he wanted to. It was just something else he'd have to get used to. The wonderful smells wafting from the kitchen finally pulled him from his steamy sanctuary. He cast one last look at his reflection and arrogantly nodded in approval.

As he walked to the kitchen, he even marveled at the mirrors and seeing an even reflection. Looking in a pool of water was too barbaric. He was definitely never taking luxury for granted ever again. The veritable feast laid out on the table had him swallowing repeatedly in appreciation. His stomach rumbled and almost sent him vaulting to the table, mouth first. Instead, he sat down and started shoving food in as fast as he could lay hands on it. Then he froze and glanced around. All he saw were his parents looking back. "Where's Usagi?" The senses he had become so in tune with had a chill racing up his spine. Something wasn't right.

His mom laughed nervously and started scooping a little bit of every food on a separate plate. No one answered him.

"Where's Usagi?" he repeated, his voice low and deadly. Then he remembered he had no restriction on his ki. He raised his energy and relaxed a little when he felt her upstairs in her room. She had to know he was home. '_So why didn't she come down?'_ He was going to find out. With a quick jerk, he shoved away from the table and climbed to his feet.

"Leave it." Vegeta put a hand out to stop him. "She has yet to finish her own ritual."

Trunks frowned and then remembered that she was locked away from him and any male contact. "We were to start at the same time!"

Bulma flushed. "I couldn't find someone to help care for her right away."

Trunks gritted his teeth as the rage whipped through his system. He was so furious, he could barely think straight. His fist clinched tight to keep from grabbing something and breaking it. "How long?"

Bulma stopped when she found herself edging closer to her husband. '_This is Trunks, what am I thinking_?_' _It did occur to her that he had lived in the wild for a whole month, so it was probably good to be cautious. Doubtless, he wasn't thinking too clearly. "A week longer."

Trunks actually did grab something and break it. The chair was literally hurled across the room and shattered into a million pieces. Bulma jumped, shocked at the sudden violent display.

"I'll see her now," he declared and started for the hallway.

Vegeta had been quietly observing until then. "I can't let you do that." He slowly climbed to his feet.

Trunks didn't even break stride. "Try and stop me," he spat.

"Trunks."

The sound of his own name from his father's lips was still too rare. Before he realized, he paused with one foot on the bottom stair.

"She deserves the right to be a woman. If you barge in now, you spoil the ritual. She'll be trapped as a girl, and you would be a man." Vegeta paused and let him think about all of the ramifications. "You have no right to take that from her."

Trunks trembled with barely suppressed rage, his eyes were glued on the top of the staircase. He was so close he could practically _smell_ her.

"You need to stay away." Vegeta watched, fascinated, as his son visibly struggled between what he wanted and what was right.

After a long moment, Trunks released an inhuman snarl and slammed out of the house. He had to breathe, to remove himself from temptation before he did something he would regret. He stalked down the street and disappeared into the dark of the night.

Bulma blinked. "What just happened? I thought you said the month alone would _help_ him. He's angrier than ever!" Her voice rose in dismay.

Vegeta filed away all of his observations until later. "It did help. Notice how he didn't go crazy and start attacking. He's not in complete control, but we can reason with him. That's a step. Before, he was just a raging beast of power. Before," Vegeta trailed off in thought, "He wouldn't have been able to walk away."

* * *

_'What was the fucking point?' _Trunks was furious. All that time, all that effort was for nothing! They were still treating him like a child. He didn't wait for a whole month to see Usagi only to have her locked away from him for another week! Usagi was supposed to be there waiting for him with open arms and a warm smile on her face, instead he was the one stuck waiting. He stalked down the rain-slicked city streets, his blood almost boiling over with fury. His anger kept him blinded to the fact that he was wandering into the less reputable part of the city where the alleys were darker, the bums dirtier, and the street hawkers were meaner.

This past month he had survived on his own, lived by his own rules, obeyed no one but himself and the burning power within. Rules were his to make and his to break. The world was his playground...and now he was back home, under his parents authority, and pissed that they would dare order him around. If he wanted to see Usagi, then he should see her. They had no right to keep her away from him.

A large chunk of stone landed at his feet.

Trunks looked up, startled and realized that he had punched a gaping hole into the corner of a run down warehouse. His fist was actually shaking. Trunks knew that he was perilously close to losing his temper and doing something violent, but for once he didn't care. So, what? If he was going to suffer, someone else might as well suffer along with him. His blood seemed to hum with approval.

As if the universe heard his thoughts, the sound of a flesh hitting flesh echoed a few alleys down from the warehouse. Curious, he made his way through the shadows until he was almost on top of the fight. '_More like a slaughter..'_ It was at least half a dozen to one. Two guys held up the loner, while two others took turns abusing him. One guy drilled out a flurry of questions, while the last stood watch at the alley.

"What location is he hitting next?" _Punch._

"What judges does he have in his pockets?" _Punch._

Trunks winced when the man vomited up blood. Still the wounded man remained silent. In fact, he seemed to grin back in defiance. The questioner cursed and motioned for the enforcers to deliver another blow.

'_What the hell,'_ Trunks thought as he stepped into the street light, making his presence known to the scout. In this moment he particularly admired defiance. He was sick of all the injustices in life. It was time to help out the underdog.

"Boss," the scout called out in warning before he moved to block Trunks' path.

"Get out of here kid before you get hurt," the guy waved a gun threateningly.

Something dark moved behind Trunks' eyes. Kid. This guy had just called him a kid. '_Bad move.'_ Trunks flashed forward and rammed his elbow into the scout's throat. The man promptly dropped his gun and collapsed to the ground, clutching his neck and making gurgling sounds, trying in vain to breathe around his crushed windpipe.

"Whoops," Trunks stepped over his gasping form, "I guess this _kid _just slipped." He turned his attention to the other men who had stopped and drawn various weapons. One of the enforcers had a blood-tipped crowbar, while the other pulled a wicked looking dagger that flashed under the streetlight.

"You're going to pay for interfering," the guy doing the questioning, apparently the leader threatened before motioning his enforcers forward.

Trunks just laughed. "You guys really don't know who you're dealing with. I don't normally waste my time on pathetic weaklings like you, but I'm spoiling for a fight tonight."

The man with blood dripping down his chin took slow painful breaths, grateful for the reprieve from his beating. His arms were still held tightly, but that didn't stop him from dragging his head up to examine his would-be rescuer. He blinked bruised swollen eyes in surprise, certain that a blow had rattled his brain, because it looked like a boy who was barely a teenager was threatening his rivals.

Crowbar guy grinned like a simpleton, flashing a few rotten teeth. He stalked close, trying to use his gorilla size to intimidate his opponent. "Die," he growled out before taking a swing with his weapon of choice.

Trunks ducked and rolled his eyes. '_Very original.'_ He rammed a fist in the man's gut sending him to his knees, gasping for breath. Trunks jumped gracefully and kicked at the back of the man's head, sending him face first into the cracked asphalt. Before he had a chance to appreciate his fallen opponent's groans, the other enforcer scuttled forward swinging and jabbing his knife.

Trunks jerked back and growled when he noticed that the guy had actually sliced his jacket. "No touching the threads." _Thwack. _Everyone froze when they saw that the teenager had grabbed the enforcer's wrist, stopping the knife when it was a mere hand's width away from cutting his face. Trunks grinned and tightened his grip, slowly. The knife clanked to the ground and still he squeezed. He could feel the fragile bones start to rub against each other until _snap. _Knife guy let out a high-pitched shriek, his other hand feebly clawed against the vice-like grip. Trunks didn't let up until the man finally passed out from the pain.

_Click._

The leader of the thugs had pulled a gun. "You're going to pay for messing with the Yakuza."

Trunks eyed the gun and smirked a challenge. "Am I?"

_Pop. Pop. _Shots from the silenced weapon echoed loudly within the close confines of the alley.

Trunks appeared behind the shooter. "Missed me." Before the man could turn, Trunks grabbed him by the neck and slammed his head against a dumpster. The gun clattered harmlessly to the floor as the man slumped into unconsciousness.

When he turned his attention to the remaining two thugs, all he saw were their hastily retreating backs. He scoffed and shook his head at the lack of loyalty. Here he thought criminals were supposed to have a sense of honor. Not only did they leave their fallen comrades, but they also left their target slumped against dumpster bleeding. '_Talk about incompetent.'_

"You alright?" he called out, not really caring now that the fight was over. It hadn't been much of a fight anyway.

The man looked up, blinking as if dazed. "Yeah. I'll make it."

Trunks shrugged and turned to leave, but the man's voice stopped him. "Hey, wait! You just saved my life."

He didn't even bother to turn around, "Yeah, so?"

The man didn't know what to make of him. "Well," he started hesitantly, "Let me buy you a drink or something, it's the least I can do."

The half Saiyajin scoffed, not even trying to hide the bitterness in his voice. "Right. Didn't you notice? I'm too young to drink." However, he turned back to watch with no small amount of admiration as the man slowly staggered to his feet without even acknowledging how much that action must have hurt.

The man chuckled weakly, but winced when his ribs protested. "Age isn't a problem. There are places that wouldn't deny me despite the law." He walked closer and examined his rescuer with a critical eye. "What's your name anyway?"

Trunks shrugged. "What do you care?"

The man remembered his earlier comment. "So I'll know who I'm dealing with."

Silence. "You can call me Trunks."

"Well, Trunks," the man walked forward and gestured to a polished luxury aircar that was parked in the shadows and had previously gone unnoticed by the demi-Saiyajin.

Reluctantly, Trunks was impressed. Not only did the guy have a nice ride, but he had the guts to park it in this part of town. What was more impressive was that there wasn't a mark on it. Not one street thief had attempted to jack it or borrow any spare parts. Who was this guy?

They rode in silence, entering into the upscale part of the city a few minutes later before finally pulling up to a flashy casino. An overeager valet quickly approached the car. Trunks noticed that the valet's eyes never left the pavement, a word never passed his lips, and he was bowing low in submission.

The man led him through the revolving door and into a world of bright lights and loud machines. A couple of hundred people were eagerly gambling their life savings away and most seemed happy about it. He didn't stop to examine the chaos, but followed his new friend into a private room off to the side. A formally dressed lady bowed them into the room and quickly took their drink orders before making herself scarce. Not one person had carded him or even looked at him; they just obeyed without question.

When the woman returned, placing the drinks before them with much ceremony, Trunks saw the man slip her a folded piece of paper which she accepted with both hands. Quickly, she disappeared leaving them alone once more. "What was that about?" Trunks sipped the beer tentatively before grimacing at the taste. '_Why do people like this stuff anyway?'_

"My brother is a very powerful man. He is often busy with ... meetings, but he would want to know what happened tonight." The man eyed him. "Do you know who I am?"

Trunks leaned back in the booth and studied the man he had saved. It was hard to tell the color of the man's eyes since his face was so bruised, but he thought they might have been a deep blue. The man's hair was so black that it seemed blue under the light. "No. Should I?" he questioned defiantly. He wasn't used to not knowing things.

"Fascinating. And yet you still rushed in to help me when the odds were against your favor."

Trunks raised an eyebrow. "Were they?" His question was cocky sounding.

The man chuckled. "Apparently not." He sipped his liquor and winced when it burned the cuts around his mouth. When he became accustomed to the taste, he threw back the rest of the shot and let it burn its way down his stomach. "Where did you learn to fight like that? I've never seen anything like it."

Trunks frowned. "That's none of your business."

Before another word could be said, the door slammed open and revealed a small group of men. The one in front who's hair was so blond it appeared platinum under the light flicked his wrist, motioning for the other men to wait outside. He was quickly obeyed. The door closed with a soft _snick._

The man he saved quickly knelt at the blond's feet, his head bowed. "Brother."

Trunks was surprised because they couldn't have looked more different, but then he noticed that they both possessed the same dark blue violet eyes.

The blond brother studied his younger brother's abused face for a very long moment. "Before you explain to me how this happened, I want you to know that those responsible will die. Soon."

Trunks could hear the quiet fury in the other man's voice and sympathized; after all fury had been his companion this past month. He also noticed the man's utter confidence...or arrogance. It appeared he harbored no doubts about his absolute authority on such matters as ordering murder. Trunks smirked. He definitely had experience with arrogance and ruthlessness too. He was liking this new addition more and more.

"Rise." The blond seemed to notice him for the first time. "Who is this?" He didn't look pleased to see an unfamiliar face.

Trunks smirked back insolently.

"Brother, this is Trunks. He is the reason I am here to report and not left for dead in an alley near the docks."

The blond spun around. "The docks? You're a fool to wander in enemy territory chasing after some skirt without proper escort."

"It was not forbidden."

"I forbid it now. You will not see that woman again without proper guard."

"Yes, brother."

Trunks noticed the telltale blush creep up the dark-haired man's cheeks. '_So there is a female.'_ He thought about Usagi and how many times he acted the fool around her. The thought of her sent his anger boiling again. '_They can't keep me from her.'_

"You are lucky the Yakuza didn't capture you. They would have quite a bargaining chip with the only brother of their rival."

"They did." The dark-haired man lowered his eyes to the table as if in shame. "There was a small contingent of soldiers, six men total, who ambushed me walking to my car. The results," he motioned to his battered and bruised face, "They attempted to extract information before they brought me to their lieutenants. During the course of the beating, my new friend happened upon us and disabled four of the six. The other two fled."

The blond turned to study the lavender-haired young man sitting so silently across the table. He took his time and noticed that there didn't seem to be a mark on the boy and that he didn't appear to have any weapons on him. Of course, he couldn't be absolutely certain about the weapons without searching him.

"Disabled? How were these four disabled?"

The other man shrugged. "I suspect two of them will die from their injuries," he thought about the scout who struggled to breathe and the leader who's head made a sickening sound when it slammed against the dumpster. "One was left relatively unscathed with a concussion, and the last will never use his right hand again."

The blond raised his eyebrow and struggled not to look impressed.

His brother continued, "I have never seen anyone fight like him."

The blond was instantly wary. It was a very important moment when someone killed for the sake of their clan. _'But to kill two of their enemies and save the boss's brother at the same time...' _There was something too serendipitous about the situation. It wasn't unheard of for government officials to try and infiltrate their ranks.

"Why were you near the docks?" he eyed the teenager's nice clothing and knew that he came from a nicer part of the city.

Trunks shrugged. "I go where I please."

The battered man looked up in surprise. "You were spoiling for a fight, you said."

Trunks decided to be honest. "Girl trouble." He shared an understanding smile with the dark-haired man. "Who are the Yakuza?" He eyed the two men, "And who are you?"

The two men shared a look. The blond actually chuckled. "So you brought me a lamb did you?"

It didn't take a genius IQ to guess that being called a lamb was an insult. Carefully, deliberately, Trunks locked eyes with the blond leader and let him glimpse the beast, the power that had become his only companion this past month. A raging fury burned in his eyes, promising pain and misery to his enemies. He let the man glimpse the demon within and smirked when he caught the faint scent of fear. "Perhaps you misspoke."

The leader leaned back in his chair and examined the teenager for a long moment. "Perhaps." A moment later he seemed to come to a decision.

The man snapped his fingers. The door immediately opened and the same formally dressed lady approached with a bottle of red wine propped against her forearm and a single wine glass. She quickly popped the cork and filled the glass with the red liquid. He swirled the wine for a long moment, while the lady anxiously waited for his reaction. Slowly, he brought the glass to his nose and sniffed deeply, closing his eyes to better examine the complex smells of his favorite vintage. He took his first sip and with a nod of approval, he motioned her out of the room. "I find lengthy explanations are more bearable with a pleased pallet." He nodded for his brother to begin.

"Trunks, you sit in the presence of Diamond, head of the most powerful organization in the world, the Black Moon clan. My name is Sapphire, his adviser."

Trunks scoffed and held up one of his legs. "Here, why don't you pull the other."

Sapphire blinked. "You don't believe me?"

"First, you are named after jewels?" He laughed. "Besides, you two are too young to be the head of a business that large. It takes years of networking, investments, and lots of money to control '_the most powerful organization in the world'. _You two are what? In your early twenties? Maybe?"

"I agree. We are young. I am only 19, while my brother is 20. Our age means nothing, however, since it was our father who first started the Black Moon," he glanced at his brother, "There was a change in power. My brother became leader at age 18 when our father..." he paused again. "Passed. He has since doubled the organization's size and scope, proving himself more competent than his predecessor. As for the jewels, they are our code names. Everyone who has power within our ranks are gifted with such a name. It makes it harder for the authorities to identify us much less start any litigation."

All of the pauses didn't go unnoticed. Trunks wondered at exactly what went unsaid. Nevertheless, their story was plausible, but he would have picked a different set of code names. Maybe different weapon names or styles of combat, definitely not something so girly as jewels. How could gems strike fear into the hearts of their enemies?

"What exactly does the Black Moon do?"

Diamond spoke for the first time. "We rule."

He sipped his wine and studied the interest that flared in the teenager's eyes. '_Aah, so that is what the young boy desires.' _"There is very little in which my organization doesn't have a controlling interest. Politics. I have provincial leaders, senators, and even presidents ready to do my bidding. I simply have to pick up my phone."

He swirled the dark red liquid. "Business. I not only own large amounts of stock in almost every major business on the stock market, but I also control the unions of laborers. There isn't a construction project, a merger, or a bank loan in nearly every major city that doesn't have my approval."

He paused again to finish his glass and pour himself another. "Law. Dozens of judges, lawyers, and cops all draw a paycheck from me and make sure that my secret dealings remain just that, secret. Money." He smelled his second glass and nearly hummed with pleasure. "Many people pay dearly for my protection as well as other hot commodities that never hit legal markets. Others simply pay for the pleasure to do business within my territory."

He leaned forward, his eyes intense, "I have power and influence. People respect and fear me. Tell me, Trunks, is that something you want?" His smooth honeyed voice was temptation itself.

Some dark emotion flared within him. Trunks knew that it was his power. This time it wasn't triggered by Usagi's presence, instead it was triggered by the promise to rule as it once ruled. Ruthlessly. Lawlessly. Absolutely. He thought back to his time on Vegeta-sei, when he stared at the kingdom that would have been his. He was born and bred to conquer, to wreck havoc on beings lesser than himself, to hack a bloody path through history; and all that had been denied because his birthright had been destroyed before he was even born.

"You have saved my brother from the pain of his idiocy and you've saved me a great deal of time and effort trying to recover him. Such noble actions should be rewarded. I may have a job for you." Diamond examined his well-manicured nails and waited.

"Money and power I don't need."

Diamond raised an eyebrow. "Influence, respect, and fear?" he inquired.

Trunks' smirked matched his. "Those I'll take."

The deal was struck.

Diamond chuckled and toasted his new ally.

* * *

AN: Dun Dun DUUUN! Review and let me know what you think about this new twist! My laptop broke recently, so updates are a little harder for me, but I'm going to keep trying to get them out in a timely manner. I'm also moving to San Diego at the beginning of Feb. so I'm going to be busy next month. Review, Review, Review!


	30. New Beginnings

**Chapter 29**

Sweat dripped down Usagi's cheeks as she stared hard into the flickering flame. Within the soft orange glow a faint outline of an amorphous figure took shape for one brief moment before vanishing, much to the frustration of the girl who would soon be a woman.

"Don't get frustrated. You're progressing very quickly," her patient teacher quickly reassured, as she offered her charge a folded towel.

Usagi scrubbed her face and scowled at the candle. "Not quickly enough. I want to see visions. Maybe if we had a bigger fire?" she suggested with a hopeful tone.

Setsuna shook her head. "Not inside. Not on your life. Bulma would skin me. Besides, it takes lots of power and discipline to direct anything more than a handful of flame. You don't have that yet. All things will come with enough time and practice."

Usagi ignored the not so subtle hint to return to work. "When will I get to make fire? You did say that was the main part of this gift."

Setsuna sighed, trying to remember when she last had to answer so many questions. Most people just took her word for things. "Yes, princess, you'll make fire; but not inside. You could easily lose control and set the room ablaze or even burn down the whole estate since you lack the training to contain it. You still have a little under a week until your month ends and you can't set foot outside until then. Be patient."

'_Less than a week.'_ Usagi forgot the lesson and even her new teacher when she thought about the night Trunks returned. It was so unfair that she wasn't allowed to go down and see him. Much to Setsuna's chagrin, she had pressed her ear against the door to catch any sound of him, and boy did she get an earful. Looking back, she didn't know why she even bothered trying to be sneaky because every word he spoke was shouted loud enough the neighbors probably heard. '_He sure was furious he couldn't see me.'_ Usagi shivered a little as she remembered feeling half dread and half elation when he started for her room. The practical part of her knew that he would have ruined the whole month; but the more reckless part of her didn't really care. She could have _seen _him. '_He makes everything better.'_ Even now she felt so safe when he was around. His very presence inspired confidence. A small part of her whispered about how violent he could get, his temper was fierce; but she hushed that part quickly. Trunks had never hurt her – not even in his darkest rages last month – and he never would.

"Usagi? Your lesson," Setsuna reminded gently when she saw that the girl's attention had wandered.

Usagi blinked at her. "How do you know so much about this anyway? You only control time and space, right?"

Setsuna bristled. "_Only?_" Usagi hid her grin at the indignant tone. "I can assure you _child_ there is no _only_ about it. Time is vast, beyond comprehension. This fire you so want to master _only_ lasts for a tiny moment – a grain of sand if you will. Time is the ocean; every ocean."

Usagi tried to appear meek and repentant in the face of the woman's injured pride. "So that's how you know so much about this gift of fire? You pick out the grain and study it?"

"Quite right, your highness."

Usagi wasn't finished with her questions. "But why do I have this gift to begin with? I know-" she waved off Setsuna's comment in a graceful move that had the older woman's heart panging at how royal it was, "I know you said it belonged to my guardians in a past life, but why did I get their powers? Why now? Why me? Why weren't they reincarnated with their gifts?"

It was Setsuna's turn to stare into the flame of the candle. "Sometimes the Universe is strange and not very forgiving. There are some souls, such as yours, who have such a capacity for change that they will always walk this realm. Your actions literally help keep the Universe, time itself moving along. Most other souls only get two chances – the first to live and the second to redeem that life. To the best of my knowledge, this is the third time you've been reincarnated. I myself am on my second life. Your first life was of a princess and these guardians were your court and protectors. That life is another tale I will gladly share later. Suffice it to say that ultimately these guardians failed you. Your souls were sent to be reborn together and that was where I first joined you and your cause. The enemy was too powerful; we guardians sacrificed our lives, our powers so that you might prevail. Your original guardians were not granted a third chance to protect you – the Universe knew there would be no different result – so you were placed with new, more powerful guardians. They still wished you their powers and you have gained almost all of them. Mars, Jupiter, Mercury."

Setsuna's smile was bittersweet. "Many of the people from your past lives may resurface, and some people you may never escape completely – your destinies are so intertwined. Some, like myself, may remember their past lives in their entirety, others may recall only bits and pieces, still others it will be like a blank slate."

Usagi blinked, "But how will I know them?"

"You won't, and that is as it should be. They deserve a chance to redeem themselves and that would be difficult if you were constantly judging them for their previous actions. Take heart, highness, this is an adventure. Never before have you been granted such an active, powerful role so quickly. Your first life, you were little more than a figurehead. Your second, you were a warrior, but you were surrounded by a very thick layer of protection. Now, it is just you – at least for a time," she mumbled to herself cryptically. "It is as if the Universe has been testing you and giving you more responsibility with every new incarnation." She went silent for a long moment, lost in thought. "Once you master using fire, then we'll move on to lightning, and then ice. It may be important to learn your gifts in the order they were given. This will take years of intense study. I –" she stopped herself from saying something, and shook her head to dismiss whatever it was. "Are you ready princess?"

Usagi was curious as to what went unsaid. Something told her that this woman had many secrets. It was good that she wasn't too forthcoming because there were only so many revelations her mind could process at one time. A princess? Her? She didn't feel the least bit royal – of course that was two lifetimes ago if she could believe this woman. Mentally she steeled herself and concentrated on the flickering candle. "Okay, I'm ready." The lessons continued well into the afternoon.

* * *

Meanwhile, Trunks examined the address printed in raised black font on the face of a simple business card and matched it to the towering building that was both tasteful and intimidating. There was no sign or plaque in sight – of course he could hardly expect them to advertise their presence. There was only a well-dressed doorman who looked as if he could handle himself and anyone foolish enough to barge in uninvited. The bouncer/doorman looked deceptively relaxed, but his gaze was moving restlessly down the street and he tensed, ready for immediate action.

Trunks let his gaze drift up and caught sight of other men watching form rooftops and alleys – they all had some cover – one was a gardener tending the rooftop garden on the apartment building across the way who moved with a soldier's well-oiled gait, another masqueraded as a homeless bum who huddled in his torn jacket and examined every passer so intensely that he could probably recite everything down to their shoe size. '_No slouches with security.'_ With a shrug, Trunks approached. Inwardly he grinned when he felt every eye on him - the rooftop gardener probably had a sniper rifle out with a bead on the back of his head. He resisted the urge to turn and check, instead he flashed the business card. "Move. I've got an appointment."

The doorman glared, glanced at the card, and touched the radio on his collar. "I've got a 2-1-4," the man mumbled out in a deep voice that sounded as soothing as gravel. One moment later, the doors _snick_ed open. '_There must be a camera somewhere.' _

Inside security was even more apparent - key cards, metal detectors, armed personnel - until finally he was through and escorted into a plush foyer that had ornate carpet he sank ankle-deep into and colossal metal and glass sculptures that practically screamed high price tags. Trunks could easily see how such lavish surroundings would impress most people, but he was used to the trappings of wealth and didn't give it more than a passing glance. His mother's company Capsule Corp. could have easily had the same style, but they ran more towards function over fashion. After all, why spend millions of dollars on sculptures no one would even enjoy looking at when that money could go to research of a product that could save lives?

The very attractive receptionist who looked as cool and detached as the surrounding statues examined him for a brief moment before waving him to an elevator. "Eleventh floor. You'll be met there." When at last he reached his destination, the doors opened to reveal the bruised but smiling face of the man whose life he'd saved a few nights prior. '_Sapphire,' _he recalled with a mental eye roll. '_What a sissy name.'_

"Trunks!" Instead of inviting him into an office, Sapphire joined him in the elevator. "I'm impossibly busy today so we'll walk and talk." He slid a key into the elevator panel and punched in a series of floors - '_A code?'_ – before turning to him. "How's life? Been out rescuing anyone else?"

Trunks smirked. "Nope. Just you."

Sapphire's eyes sparkled, not backing down. "Oh? Anymore girl trouble?" he teased and then watched with interest as his new employee lost his smirk and glared at the mirrored elevator door.

"Her trip has been delayed five more days."

Sapphire mentally noted how furious the teen looked. '_This girl must really get under his skin,' _he filed that tidbit away for later – it might be useful. "Well, I'll make sure you have that day off, then." They shared an understanding look. "My brother and I have decided to start you from the ground up. We hardly know you well enough to trust you with any real power until we've had time to evaluate your skills and your loyalties." Trunks raised an eyebrow but didn't interrupt. "This will give you time to get familiar with how we do things around here. By my recommendation, we're placing you with our …er…Security Division. With your unique talents you'll see action and get promoted quickly. I expect great things from you. Don't disappoint me. Keep in mind that Diamond is very generous with those who succeed and is very harsh with mistakes. Don't fail."

The elevator doors opened to reveal a long hallway. "This is our training facility. It's quite a few floors underground and completely secure from any surveillance satellites the government might use."

Trunks glanced around. "How do you get away with the blatant security out front? Surely that's a tip off that you have something to hide."

Sapphire flashed him a smile full of secrets. "We hold some government contracts on a few classified projects. Isn't it ironic that one arm of the government hunts us while another pays us? Sometimes I love incompetent bureaucracies and red tape. Here we are." He swiped his key card to disengage the door and led him into a sparsely furnished office. Barely a minute later, a beefy man with a very short haircut entered and quickly saluted to Sapphire. Trunks noted the man's ridged stance, the faded scars that lined his forearm, and his crooked nose. This man had seen plenty of action.

"Colonel," Sapphire waved him into a more relaxed stance before continuing. "I have a new recruit for you."

The hard man shifted his gaze to the teen and tried not to sneer. "Surely he would be better suited for our spy network, sir."

Sapphire chuckled. "You're only saying that because of his age. I insist, Colonel. I think he may surprise you."

Trunks saw the colonel's jaw clench, but a lifetime of training kept the man from arguing with his superior. Apparently he was out of the norm for recruits and the colonel didn't accept change very well.

"Trunks, may I introduce Colonel Hematite. He's your boss for the time being. A greater military mind you'll never meet. He'll be overseeing your training and your field assignments. If you cause trouble for him, you cause trouble for me." Sapphire glanced at his watch and winced. "Colonel," he nodded and left.

The big man peered down his nose at the teen. "I'll be frank. I don't know what kind of strings you pulled to get here and I don't care that you're friends with Command. I don't suffer fools lightly. You're going to be sorry you ever came."

Trunks slowly grinned. His father was twenty times more intimidating that this man would ever hope to be. "I look forward to it."

* * *

Trunks watched as the Colonel spoke briefly with another officer of some kind. The man eyed him with a cruel smile before leading him to a room filled with some of the hardest, roughest looking group of men he'd ever seen.

"Ladies," the new officer said, immediately halting all conversation. "Look what the Precious sent down to entertain us. I'm sure you'll all show him a good time."

Just that quickly Trunks realized the consequences of his impertinent remark to the Colonel. The man just made his time here that much harder. Little did he know, this was exactly why he was here in the first place – to burn off a little bit of rage. '_Good. I thought my first day would be boring.'_

The officer addressed him before he left. "Since you're new you'll spend the next few months here training. There's no point in having a weapon if it isn't sharp. When you're ready, if you make it that long, you'll be allowed to represent the Clan in the world."

Trunks frowned. He'd trained all his life. "I'm ready now."

The officer scoffed. "That's what they all say." Then he was gone.

It didn't take long for the first idiot to approach. "They brought us such a pretty one to play with."

Trunks tried to ignore him – he didn't want to make enemies right away. It was smarter to go unnoticed and then pick and choose his battles, but the Colonel had made that virtually impossible now. He did want to have a look around the complex and see what kind of "training" they meant. He sidestepped the idiot who had spoken and continued to look around.

"Hey! Don't think you can ignore me, kid."

Trunks regard him coolly. He was sick of the kid comments. "You're going to regret picking a fight with me. Be smart and back away. Now." It was a mark of his heritage that his voice held enough command to have the man hesitate. However, they were all predators like him and didn't back down easily. The man challenged him with enough foul language that Trunks though he must have been a sailor. '_It's time to make a point.' _"Fine. I'll take on you and your two gorillas." He indicated the two giants nearest the outspoken idiot. Between the three of them, anyone else should think twice about challenging him, despite what their superiors suggest. He could fight now and save himself the headache of challenge after challenge later.

Immediately after the challenge was initiated and accepted the participants stripped off their shirts and a jeering crowed started to form around them. People were yelling, egging them on, and placing bets. Apparently, the general consensus was he was about to get his ass handed to him on a silver platter. A man with a slim build was jostled to the front of the crowd. It quickly became apparent that this man was well respected and would serve as the judge. He quickly laid down the rules. There were none. Each fighter was allowed a weapon of their choice and to keep it fair, they would face off one at a time. All dirty tricks and cheap shots were encouraged. One of the gorillas expertly twirled a blunt stick resembling a sap made of metal. The other, obviously a boxer of some sort, cracked his fingers and slipped on brass knuckles with a malicious grin. The ring leader pulled a viciously sharp dagger and looked as if he knew how to use it.

The mediator looked at Trunks with an expectant expression. "What weapon are you most familiar with? I don't expect that you've brought your own since it's your first day here, but I've asked around and people will let you borrow theirs. We have just about everything, so you can take your pick."

Trunks appreciated the man's fairness. "I don't use weapons." When he dropped into a fighting stance, the crowd roared with laughter.

The ring leader started mocking. "Did your parents pay for martial arts classes? You think a karate chop is going to save you from bleeding like a stuck pig? I've got news for you, little man; your fist can't stop a knife."

Trunks didn't deign him with a response, and instead kept his gaze centered on the threat. "I thought we were fighting, but if you want to talk all day we can pull up some chairs and have a tea party instead."

The crowd oohed at the challenge. Sap gorilla was the first to step forward. He tapped his weapon against his open palm in an effort to intimidate. Trunks didn't waste time. He darted forward and faked a low kick, but at the last moment shifted his weight and smashed his foot into the man's face. The sap came down hard, but Trunks already twisted to land at the man's back. The giant spun around to face the threat and spit blood from his cut mouth. He adjusted his grip and swung again, counting on his longer arm reach to be an advantage. In a show of brute strength, Trunks grabbed the man's wrist, halting him in mid swing, and kicked him in his exposed side. There was a satisfied crunch underneath the roar of the crowd. Trunks backed off and let the man huddle around his broken ribs. "Get right, Mason! Get right," one voice yelled from the crowd. Trunks didn't wait for sap guy – alas Mason – to "get right". With one quick leg sweep, the giant was down and the sap went skidding under the feet of the jostling crowd. Some of the onlookers grabbed Manson by the arms and dragged him off.

The slim announcer eyed him with new respect before announcing the obvious, "The fight goes to the new guy!"

Trunks didn't wait for the next flurry of betting, but arrogantly crooked his fingers for the boxer to step forward. This guy would not be so easy to beat. Trunks watched him loosen up his shoulders and start bounding on his feet. They guy looked lean, strong, and fast. Tentatively, Boxer slung out a few testing punches which Trunks easily slapped away. Trunks didn't bother punching back because he'd have to get close and might get grazed with the brass. He wasn't planning on seeing Usagi for the first time in a month with a face that had been rearranged by this jerk.

They circled. Trunks took the time the guy was dancing around tiring himself out to look for any weaknesses in his defense. It would have to be a matter of leverage. The boxer darted forward and let out a quick flurry of powerful punches that would have caused serious damage if they landed. Trunks twisted and flipped, letting every punch hit nothing but air. '_There!'_ He finally saw an opening when the brute started to tire and forgot to recover correctly. Trunks darted in and landed a carefully placed punch that deadened one of his opponent's arms. It not hung uselessly at his side. While he reeled in shock, Trunks grabbed the good arm, twisted it around and yanked up. "If you keep fighting, it'll snap," he warned when the man started thrashing wildly. He tried to kick back and get room, but Trunks simply sidestepped and punched his captive in the kidney. The man's face turned white and then he went down like a rock.

Someone in the crowd groaned in sympathy. "He's gonna be pissin' blood fer a week!" Again, they cleared the man from the area and Trunks was announced the victor.

"It's my turn now." The ring leader started swiping with his knife in moves and counter moves that had Trunks retreating a few steps. A burning across his arm signaled the guy had sliced him. Trunks felt the warm trickle of blood slide over his elbow and drip to the floor. Mentally he noted his location so that he wouldn't slip in the wet puddle. A faint red haze threatened to overtake him, but he pushed back the power and used the anger to heighten his senses. He wouldn't be so careless again. Slowly, with the discipline he'd honed over the training under his father, he blocked out the heckling of the crowd and focused only on his opponent.

The leader saw the spilled blood and started getting cocky. Laughing, he flipped his dagger from hand to hand and was about to start in with fresh taunts, when Trunks rolled forward and kicked the dagger when it was in midair. The weapon soared straight up and lodged into the ceiling.

"That was stupid," Trunks practically breathed in his face. He threw back a punch, but the man dropped down and skidded back on his hands in an awkward crab walk.

"A knife! Give me a knife," he frantically urged the crowd. No one moved to help.

"What's wrong? Can't fight without something pointy to hide behind?" Trunks whipped a hand out, grabbed him by the hair and flipped him over his knee. While the man's arms flailed out to brace his fall, Trunks snagged a wrist, twisted it viciously and placed a heel at the man's throat. Everyone stilled. "You know how much pressure it takes to crush your windpipe?" The man didn't dare move to answer. Trunks flashed a wolfish grin. "Not much." He pressed down hard enough for the man to get real intimate with the grooves at the bottom of his shoe. With a sniff of disgust –'_had this piece of filth really marked him?' –_ he released him and stepped back. Before some of the people who had won their bets could swarm forward to congratulate him, the last opponent surged off the floor in a disgraced fit and tried to charge the teen. Trunks didn't need the crowd's outraged cries to know he was about to get tackled. On instinct, he spun around and laid the man flat with one hit. The guy was out cold and would be for a long time.

The announcer made his way over to Trunks. "Fine fighting. I didn't think you'd be able to handle all three of them without tiring yourself out." Trunks shrugged and examined the extent of his wounded arm. "Let's get that looked at," he led the way through the crowd and towards a small backroom that held everything from mops and cleaning sprays to bandages and a table. "If you need anything, let me know." The man started rifling through the drawers until he found some disinfectant and a wad of sterile bandages. At Trunks' curious look, he explained, "Part of your training here will include first aid. I've been here long enough to not be an idiot. I'm Alan by the way."

* * *

Trunks eyed the stairs to his house and waited his chance; he didn't have to wait long. A tall woman with long dark hair gracefully descended the steps as if she herself were the lady of the house. He'd timed this meeting perfectly – his mom was still in her office putting out the last brush fires of the day and this woman was almost off duty. He didn't have much time to talk so he got right to the point. "So you're her." This was the woman who was spending so much time with Usagi.

Setsuna raised an eyebrow at the prince's blunt rudeness. She decided to answer him in kind. "You're you." With eons of practice, she schooled her expression to reveal nothing of her thoughts. It wouldn't do for the prince to realize she was equally as interested in gaining his measure as he appeared to be in gaining hers. Right now she could see that he had little liking for her comment. '_Too bad.'_

"I want you to give her this," he thrust a neatly folded letter at her.

Setsuna didn't take it, even though she thought better of him when she noticed it was hand-written. "I'm under orders. She is not to have any contact with males – that includes you."

"She won't. She'll only have contact with a piece of paper. I won't be anywhere close."

Setsuna smiled grudgingly. "Nice try. Your mom said you might be insistent."

Trunks narrowed his eyes. "I can make it worth your time and effort. Mom can't be paying you as much as you want or deserve. I know she didn't pay you enough to deal with me. It's just a small letter and a short walk." He wiggled the letter in front of her as if in enticement.

Setsuna crossed her arms and grinned outright. If it had been any other caregiver, then he would have them eating out of the palm of his hand. "The answer is still no."

Trunks frowned but pocketed the letter without further complaint. Some people just couldn't be bribed – not with money anyway, and he didn't have the time to try a different approach because his mother was almost home. "How is she?" he couldn't help but ask.

Setsuna relented when she saw genuine concern in his eyes. "She's fine. A little lonely. I can tell she misses you and her younger brother. Anxious. She wants out as badly as you want in."

Trunks brightened. "I don't suppose –"

"Not a chance in hell."

Just then, "I'm home!" Bulma announced as she emerged from the office side of the complex while juggling a coffee mug, an overstuffed briefcase, and her bulging purse as she tried to slip out of her work heels. "Trunks. Setsuna," she blinked, startled to find them conversing.

Setsuna didn't waste any time with explanations. "Since you're here Mrs. Briefs, I'll take my leave." Just as quickly she was gone.

Trunks came forward and took the briefcase from his mother's hand before she dropped it and sent the hopelessly disorganized papers scattering to the floor. "Here, Mom," he placed it on the coffee table for easy access.

"Just where have you been today, mister? The intercom said you were out the whole day and didn't return until about an hour ago. Well?" She sat down to rub her aching heel. "Damn shoes," she mumbled to herself before pinning him with an icy glare that was so similar to his own.

Trunks flopped down in the recliner facing her and said with studied nonchalance. "Today was the first day of my job."

Bulma was literally speechless.

"What, Mom, were you expecting me to be out prowling the neighborhood terrorizing small animals?" his sarcasm was at its finest.

"Well, you did storm out the other night." Then she thought about it. "A job? Why didn't you tell me? Capsule Corp has got plenty of entry-level openings."

Trunks rolled his eyes. "Mom, working for the company would be so _boring_, besides," here he grinned. "You'd be so scared I'd disrupt your perfectly run departments, you'd constantly be checking up on me. Then, you wouldn't get work done and you'd probably fire me within the week."

Bulma chuckled drily. "You've been thinking about this a lot, have you?" After a moment of consideration she reluctantly agreed with his prediction. Mother or not, she would fire him in a skinny minute. "Is this some elaborate ploy to get me to increase your allowance? 'Cause it won't work. No son of mine is going to turn into a spoiled brat who doesn't know the value of a dollar."

Trunks rolled his eyes at the familiar old rant. "I know, I know. You said we'd have to get a job and work for anything extra. So, well…this is me working."

Bulma eyed her teenage son for a long moment before curiosity got the better of her. "What are you doing?"

Trunks smiled to himself. "I'm working for the security department of a company at one of the big buildings downtown. I met the CEO's brother the other night and he offered me a job."

Bulma couldn't deny that her son, with all of the training and special abilities from his father, would be perfect for security. "Is it safe?"

Trunks looked at her like she grew another head. "Mom, really."

Bulma couldn't help but grin. After all her son had fought in the World's Martial Arts tournament and even against Buu and held his own. "You're right. That was a stupid question. But, I'm a mother so I had to ask." She eyed her son suspiciously. "What I want to know is why? Why now? Are you saving up for a big purchase?" A thought made her gasp. "You're not hoping to buy an aircar are you? You're too young to be thinking about driving yet – you're only fourteen! And how can they legally hire you anyway? You're too young to be working yet. There are laws against this kind of thing."

Trunks tried to not get annoyed by her still treating him like a child. Did she not realize what he had to go through that month in the wild? His tone was sharper than he intended. "You can't have it both ways. Either you want me to man up and get a job or I'm too young to work. Which is it?" After a long breath, he reached for calm. "Besides," he glanced up and over to where Usagi's room was. "I need time away from everything." He already knew he couldn't be around her without some kind of outlet for all of his strange feelings.

Bulma stared her son down before mentally agreeing that she was being contrary. '_Sue me. I don't know if I'm ready for my only son to grow up just yet.'_ Especially because that would make her feel old and she felt that he should enjoy his youth while he could. Until this moment she had been foolishly thinking that he might take up lawn work or shovel snow for a little extra cash like other boys his age did. Now she realized how foolish that wish truly was. He was a warrior through and through and a royal one who had too much pride.

'_Still,'_ she saw him glance towards Usagi's room and silently agreed that space might be good for those two. It was a mark of her son's growing maturity that he acknowledged that as well and had even taken steps to rectify the situation. '_Proactive not reactive, maybe I taught him something after all.'_

"Okay. I'm happy for you. I think you should have told me about this first, but I'm glad you're making your own steps into the world." She clasped his knee and hauled herself up from the couch, growning loudly when her sore heels throbbed against the floor. "Let's celebrate your first day as a working man!" She hobbled her way to the kitchen only to pull out a carton of premium ice cream.

"Mom, I'm not five anymore."

Bulma grinned. "This is mostly for me, besides it's only an appetizer. Grab some bowls."

Later, when they were rinsing dishes, something Bulma insisted so that they wouldn't grow spoiled and know nothing of chores when they were out on their own, Trunks broached a question that had been plaguing him the whole day. "Mom, what do you know about an organization called the Black Moon?"

Bulma lost her grip on the glass she was rinsing and let it drop into the sudsy water. "I guess they went over that in your training today, huh?" Trunks didn't answer. "If there is one organization every company needs to watch out for it's the Black Moon Clan. They're nothing but a bunch of mobsters with god complexes, if you ask me. I can see why your boss might warn you about them. Many companies just pay them a monthly fee so that they'll stay away."

Trunks tried to sound uninterested. "Does Capsule Corp?"

Bulma shrugged. "Sure do. I'm not having my life's work and my company's reputation threatened by the likes of them. I have more important things to do than try to fight back or make a stand. If I can keep my people alive, my deliveries on time, and my stocks steady with a little payoff; so be it."

She mistook her son's expression and explained further. "When you have a company as large as ours that has international ties to dozens of different countries, you realize that some of these places only deal truly and fairly with someone based on a system of gift-giving – read that as bribes. In our business system it is not acceptable, but in a small factory in a suburb of some poor village in China where a small "token" is the difference between getting a shipment out on time and getting a shipment lost entirely, I'm not only expected, but socially obligated to bonus the factory manager. I see this Black Moon Clan as being no different. I'm not willing to place my people's lives in danger just because of something as meaningless as money. I've seen them take down and destroy companies in a matter of months. They make it personal. So, if any of them threaten the company you're with now, you take it seriously, okay?"

Trunks nodded deep in thought. "I was just wondering. Their name sounds so stupid; I didn't know if the guys at work were just pulling my leg."

Bulma picked up the glass and started rinsing it. "No. They're very real."

He wondered at the type of organization that had even his formidable mother scared. Trunks grinned and thought that it sounded like the place for him to be.

* * *

Usagi's mind wasn't on her lessons; it was tracking the sun's path across the sky. Today was the last day of her nearly month long confinement. '_Finally.'_ She was practically bouncing in place; she was so excited to be free from the walls of her cage. "I'm going to sleep on the couch for a week! Maybe I'll go camping." She couldn't wait to see the outdoors, to feel natural light on her face, and revel in the fact that there would be no boundaries to contain her. Tomorrow morning she'd get to see Trunks. '_I'll go fly and visit with Goten too.'_

Her thoughts turned towards family. '_Maybe I can schedule another Saiyajin get-together.' _She pushed away the thoughts of the last trip that ended so badly. '_Trunks won't freak out this time. He's had a whole moth to master his temper.'_ Still, a nagging cornel of doubt pricked her mind. With mounting determination, she pushed away the negative thoughts. '_Nothing will spoil this night for me.'_ The shadows finally started getting longer as the sun sank towards the horizon.

"You'll do fine, princess." Setsuna's voice was calming as always.

Usagi often wondered if the woman ever got worked up about anything. She did notice how her mentor didn't particularly care for questions, so she'd started deliberately asking as many questions as she could think of; the more senseless, the better. The woman had to snap sometime.

"What if a wild boar attacks me? Or is the water is filled with piranha? Do I still have to stay there and bathe? Does screaming count as breaking the vow of silence? It's not like I'll be talking with anyone. I'm supposed to scrub with sand. What if I can't find any? Would pebbles count? Sand is just small rocks if you think about it." Usagi saw the woman's eyes flinch and turned away to hide her smile. "Should I bring soap? What about shampoo? Wouldn't that pollute the water? Do you know how long it's going to take with the amount of hair I have? What if I'm still bathing when the sun comes up? Does that mean the ritual is void? Will I have to start over?" She heard Setsuna take a long calming breath.

"You'll be fine, princess," she repeated in a slightly more strained voice.

'_Success.'_ Usagi watched the sun start to color the sky, turning the clouds a brilliant orange. More seriously she turned to her mentor. "Is this the last day I'll see you?" For some reason, that possibility greatly disturbed her. Could it be that she was getting attached to the older woman? '_No way,'_ her conscious quietly reassured. It was still so hard for her to trust women.

Setsuna finally answered a question. "I'll still work for Bulma and Capsule Corp. I still have much of my day free to spend continuing your instruction. You've not yet even begun to tap your power, highness."

Usagi refused to feel relief. "I'd like that." The last of the sun's rays dipped below the horizon. Her period of silence had begun.

Quietly, she gathered the bundles that contained a warm change of clothes, a towel, and some natural soap. Before she left her room for the first time in twenty-eight days, she cast out her ki and searched for Trunks. It wouldn't do if she stumbled across him on her way out of the house. Surprisingly, she found him in the gravity room sparring with his father. '_Vegeta is probably keeping a close eye on him tonight of all nights.'_

Steeling her resolve, she confidently strode out into the house that had been forbidden to her these past weeks. It was funny how much she had forgotten. When was the last time she really looked at that painting or noticed that table? Who were the people in that picture? Suddenly her world was new again. '_Is that the reason for the isolation? For females to appreciate life and new beginnings?'_

The outside air was warm and smelled faintly of cut grass. There was a small breeze that gently rattled the leaves of the forest that backed the estate. Starlight guided her though the darkened woods until she heard the steady trickle of the creek she and Trunks thoroughly explored in their youth. She followed the small stream for a few minutes to the spot where it widened. On the other side, where the water cut into the bank and exposed the winding gnarl of an ancient oak's roots, the stream was deep enough to reach her shoulders.

She hunted along the bed, silently cursing the poor lighting as she strained to find even a handful of sand. There was no way she was hunting down a different stream in the dead of night. Here at least she knew there was nothing more threatening than minnows and frogs. Another stream could have snakes or even alligators. '_There,'_ just where the creek curved around a bend the starlight twinkled off a small mound of sand. Thankfully the river sand was so fine it felt like crushed velvet until her fingertips. The tiny grains sparkled like diamonds. '_Setsuna doesn't appreciate these tiny grains of sand.'_

After a few trips where she stumbled over jutting rocks and invisible tree roots, and mentally cursed as more sand escaped through her cupped hands, she disrobed and stepped into the running water. It was freezing! Usagi bit her lip to contain her startled yelp. Even though she didn't know if anyone was hovering around to hear if she broke her vow of silence, she wasn't taking any chances. She wanted to pass this rite of passage and make Fausha proud. Slowly, she waded step by agonizing step, further into the stream, vaguely noting that the current was faster than normal due to all the rains in the past few weeks.

When the water covered her waist, she quickly bathed. It was probably the fastest bath she'd ever taken. Part of her was sad that this last leg of her rite couldn't be at a lush Saiyajin oasis frolicking in its warm waters. Instead she was crouched in a frigid creek, trying to ignore the muck squishing between her toes, praying that there would be a sudden inexplicable heat wave. Instead the temperature steadily dropped. Her hands were shaking, scattering sand into the water, but she was beyond caring. Surprisingly, it wasn't as rough against her skin as she feared. It vaguely felt like an exfoliating body scrub but without the accompanying fruity smell.

Her long blond tresses floated around her. She dunked her head back to rinse the suds from her hair and literally lost her breath when she saw a veritable blanket of stars stretched along the strip of sky not obscured by the treetops. Their celestial beauty momentarily distracted her from her physical misery. After all, what were her petty concerns compared to the vastness of existence? '_Maybe Setsuna was right after all.'_ Sometimes the big picture was more breathtaking than even a small mound of diamonds.

It wasn't until her lips started to go numb that she snapped back to reality and trudged to the creek bed. The fluffy towel and vigorous drying did little to warm her. However, the plush towel felt extra soft against her freshly sand-scrubbed skin. She expertly rung the excess water from her hair, folded its length, and wrapped it up in the towel. Quickly, she dressed and mentally patted herself on the back for having the forethought to pack warmly.

Slowly, shivering, she set out at a trot, heading for the nearest, highest point in the landscape so that she could wait for the sun to rise. Already she knew the route to take; after all, she had nearly a month to plan this midnight excursion. All around her the sounds of the night came alive in a cadence, a symphony of crickets and frogs that serenaded her while small animals quickly darted unseen into the underbrush. After what seemed like hours to her, but was probably much shorter she reached the relatively low hanging rock face that stretched just above the tree line. She could look out over the forest with the city at her back and watch the sky lighten. With more determination than grace, she scrambled up the sheer rock and only mentally cursed twice – once when she took the wrong path up and had to carefully backtrack and once when she mistook a bird's nest for a foothold. '_Stupid birds. What kind of mother decides that a nest on a cliff side is a _good_ idea?' _

Fortunately, the impromptu exercise chased off the lingering chill from the creek. Temperatures continued to plummet in the hours of predawn. The image of patience, Usagi finally stood at the edge of the cliff and watched the black horizon long enough for her mind to wander.

In a few hours, she would be a woman of the mighty Saiyajin race. She would cast off the fears and silly notions of childhood and embrace her future. Her childhood was marred with many unpleasant memories and experiences she knew still haunted her. Many of those hard lessons still held sway over her current actions. '_Will I never be free from the frightened creature that still flinches inside of me? Can I never learn to trust?'_ A sensible part of her knew that this dawn could be a new beginning if she let it. She could finally let go of the doubt, of the self-consciousness that had her constantly second guessing herself. Despite her mother's abuse, despite her death, and the violence in her life, she knew that she deserved to be happy.

'_Can I really be happy if I can't trust others?'_ The hours before dawn were for brutal honesty. '_If I can't trust, will I ever love?'_ Love frightened her most of all. She fought hard over these past few years to cultivate, to find, and to explore what it meant to be Son Usagi. To love meant losing that part of herself, her core to another. She didn't think she could handle that. '_To be lost again is my greatest fear.'_

Before she could dwell on her emotional turmoil, a thought surfaced and calmed her. '_I have Trunks. He'll never let me be lost again.'_ Her mind eagerly latched onto his image. She didn't think to ask herself how she could be contemplating love and have Trunks come to mind. Instead, she remembered him saying goodbye. '_Has it really only been a month? It feels like a year.'_ He had the best hugs; she warmed as she recalled the last hug they shared that had been all too brief. '_Has he changed? He must have…'_ After all, she felt like she was finishing a long journey.

She didn't want anything to change between them – she valued their close friendship too much to risk it on some silly emotions that he probably didn't feel anyway. The King and the Seer's voices threatened to rob her of her surety. '_Trunks as Raseri, the Great War god….what a crock.'_ She considered it for a brief moment and then quickly rejected the idea. '_He'd be impossible to live with. There wouldn't be enough room in the mansion for me and his massive ego. A prince and a god? I'd never hear the end of it.'_ Still, some small part of her didn't want to feel completely isolated with a supposed godhood thrust onto her by her dead people. '_Trunks would really get a kick out of the Saiyajins falling all over themselves to please.'_ She chuckled to herself. '_Impossible to live with.'_ The truth was worth repeating.

Her pulse jumped when she noticed a slight change. Where the horizon had once been as dark as pitch, she could now make out the faint outline of the horizon, a dark silhouette against a dark background. Just when she started getting giddy, she froze in horror. '_What am I going to say when I see him?'_ Frantically her mind scrambled to think of witty one-liners, but nothing clever came to mind. '_Great. I had a whole month to think about this and I wait until _now.' The adrenaline rush couldn't be sustained and naturally her mind drifted.

She thought about her lessons with Setsuna, the Time Master. '_Or Mistress…I've got to think of a better nickname.'_ She was excited that her lessons would progress at a faster pace now that she had access to the outdoors where she could safely practice her growing skills. Truthfully, she wasn't sure what to make of the woman's claims of past lives and second chances. '_I don't remember, so maybe I shouldn't worry about it.'_

The sky was definitely getting lighter. Almost too slowly to tell, like a flower blooming, the stars disappeared behind the growing blue gray light. It wouldn't be long now. This was one of her favorite times of day; not that she was ever woke early to really enjoy it, but there were plenty of times when she stayed up all night with Trunks to have the opportunity to fall in love with the crisp air. The morning was filled with a sense of energy – as if the entire world were waking. She felt her spirit fill with happiness and excitement that was almost primal. Maybe her prehistoric ancestors felt this sense of relief to have survived another night, to see the dawn chase away the darkness.

First there was one single chirp and then a came a chorus of birds that anointed the day with song. Finally, the first rays of sun streaked across the sky and lit on Usagi's face. A new beginning. She stayed until the heat of the morning burned away the lingering energy and anticipation. Usagi felt more carefree and lighter with every step towards home. It felt like a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Cynically, she chalked it up to sleep deprivation, but that didn't keep the goofy smile from her face.

She was halfway home when she realized that she was finally a woman, that there were no more restrictions. She could talk if she wanted to. Then, she almost hit herself for not realizing it sooner. '_I can fly if I want to.'_ Without further ado, she raced through the woods as fast as her half-Saiyajin heritage would allow. With a vaguely maniacal giggle, she burst through the foliage and stumbled to a halt on the expertly manicured estate lawn. She froze when she saw a figure lounging on the front stoop.

'_He waited for me,'_ was all she could think.

He heard her foot fall on a stray leaf and snapped his head around. Blue met blue.

A tightness in her chest that she didn't even realize was there eased and disappeared. She didn't know what to do or say. Her mind was curiously blank. Slowly, she watched as Trunks climbed to his feet in the graceful way only fighters mastered. That grace struck a painful chord in her heart. She missed that this past month. As she stared at her friend, she realized that she missed entirely too much about him that could be normal. His hugs, his smiles, his eyes, his grace. She swallowed painfully and continued to stare like a deer caught in headlights. '_We're both adults now. How should a woman greet a man?'_ She didn't know, but she _did_ know how close friends should greet each other.

It took less than a second to cross the lawn and fling herself into his arms. He was hard-pressed to catch her, but he did and they both went stumbling back against the front door. Usagi's heart raced so fast she couldn't breathe. Then she realized Trunks was hugging her so hard she couldn't have breathed anyway. '_I don't care.'_ She buried herself against him, wanting to be so close that they couldn't ever be separated. A small niggling part in the back of her mind cautioned that this was hardly behavior of someone who wanted emotional distance. It didn't matter. This moment was too pure and perfect to taint with doubts and silly things like logic. Abruptly she heard herself repeating, "I missed you. I missed you," like a mantra.

Trunks's arms were literally trembling where they wrapped around her. She felt his fingers shake when they threaded through her hair. He pushed her head to rest on his shoulder and she breathed in his scent in greedy huffs. She felt more than heard his impassioned whisper, "Never again." Or maybe it was a vow? She reached down and threaded her fingers with his.

He squeezed the back of her neck in warning. "Not ever again, Usa."

She glanced up and noticed how fierce his expression was. It didn't frighten her. '_He is fierce in his friendship,' _she mentally reassured herself. "Never again," she mumbled her agreement and felt him relax. They swayed there together, bathed in the morning light.

Trunks was the first to break the easy silence. "I wanted to go see you. I _needed_ to see you, but Dad kept me busy training all night. By the time we called it quits, the sky was getting lighter and all I could do was shower, get changed, and wait for you."

Usagi bit back a giggle when she realized they were both punch drunk with lack of sleep. It was easy for her to excuse his expression of 'need'. '_He doesn't know what he's saying.'_ She rested against him and let the quiet _thump, thump_ of his heart lull her into a half dream state. For once she was selfish and thought of nothing but thoroughly enjoying this hug, relishing in the physical contact, of being so close to someone she cared about and whom she knew cared for her. '_This must be heaven…'_ was her last thought.

Trunks knew the minute she finally succumbed to exhaustion, and he gathered her close to him. He was enjoying this too much to go inside where his mother was no doubt planning something outrageous and welcoming. '_Just us.'_ It had almost been painful to see her after so long an absence. Her eyes had pinned him to the spot. Something deep within him had wanted her to come to him. '_Boy did she,'_ he grinned and subconsciously rubbed his cheek against her hair. He didn't want to ever lose her again. '_Not ever again.'_ And she had renewed her promise to him. Today might be the best day of his life.

Gently, he scooped her up and quietly backed into the house.

"Welc—"

"Mom!" Trunks's whispered hiss cut his mother's greeting short. "She's exhausted. So am I."

Bulma blinked and quickly rearranged her homecoming plans. "Oh. Well." She watched her son start up the stairs and gently called after him, "You might not want to take her to her room. I'm sure she's well and truly sick of it by now."

Trunks didn't stop. "Hadn't even crossed my mind."

Instead he shut the door to his own room and locked it. There was no way he was letting either of his parents interrupt his Usa time. With incredible gentleness that would have baffled his Saiyajin counterparts, he lowered her onto the bed and climbed in next to her. He studied her peacefully slumbering face for a long moment, struggling to keep his own eyes open. He knew that after the full night of hard training, any lingering anger or strange emotions were too exhausted to emerge. This would probably be one of the few chances he had of trampling down any dominant demanding tendencies that would have turned his intentions into something very different. He lightly brushed his lips against her forehead. Slowly, lest she wake, his fingers brushed away a stray hair, but his thumb rubbed against her lower lip. When she didn't move he grew bolder, leaned in and kissed her.

Usagi shifted in her sleep, breaking the kiss, but she burrowed closer to him and sighed.

Trunks's rapidly beating heart finally slowed enough for him to think. He thought for sure he had been caught. '_That would have taken a miracle to talk my way out of.'_ It didn't matter. It had been worth it. He snuggled closer, closed his eyes and slept more peacefully than he had in over a month.

* * *

AN: Review! Tell me what you think of this newest twist. Rites of passage are done. Yay!


	31. Frustrations

**Chapter 30**

Trunks spent his days working ruthlessly to acquire the skills needed to build a flawless reputation with his cohorts. Countless times he prevailed where others believed there were insurmountable odds and no hope for success. He soon became a man who murderers, thieves, and soulless mercenaries feared. His decisions were quick and he was merciless with all who opposed the Black Moon Clan and their interests. Many whispered behind his back that he might soon be promoted and they speculated on which stone name he would be given. However, when the day ended, he returned home to spend time with Usagi with a forced calm and a clear head.

Usagi marveled at his new found control of his temper. She speculated that his new perspective was the result of the month alone during his rite of passage and his new disciple was being cultivated by his job – indubitably security personnel could hardly afford to lose their tempers in high stress situations.

Likewise, Usagi's days were spent with Setsuna learning discipline and exploring her gifts in the relative safety of the wilderness. Fire was the first element she was bid to master. After these many months, she could now claim a rudimentary knowledge – as Setsuna often warned and Usagi now realized – it would take years of intense study to fully master any of her gifts. Of course, what knowledge she currently possessed didn't come easily and without many mishaps. Once, she accidently started a forest fire that was, thankfully, easy to extinguish and twice she set her clothes aflame. Setsuna had tried to maintain her dignified, solemn demeanor but she erupted into gales of laughter at her princess' mortified expression. After each incident, it took Usagi a full week to forgive her mentor.

Usagi celebrated new accomplishments and learned about her past lives, which she still regarded incredulously. Never would she have believed that the scared waif of a child, who cowered in the wake of her mother's rage, could curb the fierce element of fire to her will. Her pride in herself helped to banish many of the old insecurities. '_What would Bardock think if he could see me now?' _

At the end of the day, she retired to the mansion that was her home and spent the evenings with her best friend and his family. Gone were the days she spent alone and anxious for Trunks and Goten's return from their daily spar. Now, she had her own purpose, her own goals as well as her own achievements and failures. The evenings were spent amicably. Even when she felt Trunks' eyes on her a little too intensely or when he touched her in more than a platonic way, they never fought or exchanged angry words. He still threw out commands more than she liked, but she quickly learned to obey so as to not spoil their now limited time with the same old argument. Somewhere over the past few months she accepted that it would take more than her meager skills to change a prince's arrogance.

The days of many months passed in just this way, until their peace was shattered with the first argument in almost three quarters of a year. She was bound and determined to spend a few days away on a much awaited Saiyajin outing, despite the fact that Trunks ordered her to stay. He had some obligation to fulfill with his work that required he stay close to home, but that didn't mean she had to stay behind with him! She told him as much and then nearly regretted her words when she saw his face cloud with anger. His roar of denial still echoed in her head and had her shivering at the memory days later. Despite being vastly intimidated at the time, she'd taken hold of her courage. "I'm not a slave; I'll do as I please." That didn't go over any better than her first denial. Trunks staid awake that night watching her door to make sure that she didn't sneak away while he slept. However, Trunks had to give up his vigil and go to work the next morning, so she was free to fly out with Vegeta.

Now, days later she dreaded her return home knowing that Trunks' temper would be on a slow burn, but she didn't let that spoil her enjoyment of the sunny day or her engaging company. Gohan had even been able to take time off of work – he was an assistant professor at a college in town – to attend. Usagi was disappointed that Videl couldn't join, so she was, once again, the only female.

The small group flew to a tropical island far to the south where the weather was warm and balmy. Tall palm trees dotted the landscape and framed the rocky shore. Countless rocks and boulders, smoothed down by centuries of crashing waves were exposed by the receding tide. On one such boulder, Usagi lounged clad only in a skimpy pink one piece swimsuit and sighed with deep-seated satisfaction as the sun warmed her along with the giant slab of limestone. Briefly she wished Trunks were here to enjoy the crystal clear blue green water and the perfect scenery. '_He'd probably frown the whole time,'_ she thought ungraciously. Her pride still rankled that he would have denied her this place and this peace purely for his selfish motivations.

The lull of the ocean soothed her rattled mind – the crashing and receding waves were continuous, as old as time. Tomorrow, she decided she would wake early, before they returned to civilization, and meditate by the shore. Setsuna taught her the correct breathing exercises and how to calm her mind. She'd always meditated over flames and attempted to see visions, but the ocean was just as constant and soothing. Somehow she knew she would need the added calm before facing Trunks again. Mentally, she banished all thoughts of him and tuned in to conversation around her.

"Hey, bro, when are you going to grow some balls and ask Videl to marry you?" Goten ripped mercilessly.

"Yeah, you've been dating for, like, ever," Usagi jumped in with a grin.

Gohan blushed at his two sibling's remarks. Vegeta scoffed when he saw the unmanly display of emotion. Saiyajin warriors didn't _blush_ and definitely didn't become speechless over a woman.

Goku laughed at his son's expense, but soon came to his rescue. "Leave him be you two. That's a big step to make and one should think long and hard before taking the plunge. This decision is for life – it's serious. Goahn was always a thinker, so he's taking his time and considering everything very carefully." Goku flung sand at his youngest son. "You should learn something from him, Goten 'cause you don't think enough. Thank Kami Trunks was always there to reign you in 'cause you'd have turned my hair grey with worry if you were left to your own devices." Goku expertly deflected the conversation and nodded at his oldest's grateful expression. He'd learn that particular skill from Gohan but was nowhere the master of words his son was.

Usagi laughed at her birth father's naïve perception. "Are you kidding? Trunks was the one instigating everything. Poor Goten usually got blamed for it all."

Goku looked around. "Where is Trunks anyway? I'm surprised he passed up a vacation at the beach."

Goten scoffed and glared down at the sand clenched in his fist. "Don't ask me. We barely talk anymore. He spends all day at his _job_." Usagi winced at the bitterness in her brother's voice. She hadn't realized the extent of his inattention. "Now I'm lucky if we can fit a spar in every few weeks."

Goku frowned. "I don't like you sparing with him anymore. Last time you came home so bloody that your mother almost fainted."

Goten lifted one shoulder in a hapless shrug. "He's just working off some stress." Even in his anger, he still defended his friend.

"Well, he doesn't have to work it off with his fists on your face," Gohan joined his father in worry.

Usagi didn't understand this; Trunks had actually appeared more laid back to her. "Truly, Goten?" She waited for him to look up at her when she scooted to the edge of the rock. "You two don't hang out anymore? But, you're his best friend!"

Goten's smile was humorless. It hurt her to see it. "He spends all of his free time with you."

Usagi flushed and looked away. She shouldn't feel guilty about that, but she did. How dare Trunks choose her over Goten! She wasn't about to let Trunks' actions come between her and her brother. She couldn't imagine how he must feel about losing his best friend. Alone. Hurt. Deserted. Resentful. "I'll talk to him, Goten. We'll work something out. I had no idea this was going on!" Now she felt absolutely horrible about enjoying her evenings with Trunks, but she was determined to set things right.

"Don't bother. If he's just going to dump me as a friend, then he's not worth my time."

That was his pride talking; he didn't want to get his hopes up and they get dashed if she couldn't deliver. "I'll talk to him."

Goku listened and then turned to regard his prince. "Vegeta, why don't you talk to him? The boy shouldn't be working this much and neglecting his life. He's young! He should be having fun."

Vegeta stood braced against the wind with his arms crossed and his scowl thoughtful. He sightlessly studied the horizon and the rolling surge of the ocean, but his thoughts were inward, centered on cultural tradition. "I cannot interfere. It is forbidden, Kakarot."

Goku scratched his head. "What are you talking about? Who forbids it? Since when do you obey orders?"

Vegeta sighed and turned to regard the last of his subjects. He had their undivided attention. "What I say now does not leave this island. Understand?" Everyone slowly nodded. Vegeta pinned Usagi with a glare. "Especially you."

Usagi gulped, wondering why she was being singled out. "I promise, I'll say nothing of this."

The prince stared at her for a long moment before grunting his satisfaction when she gritted her teeth, thrust her stubborn chin forward, and returned his glare defiantly. '_I can see why he chose her.'_ "Saiyajin royal tradition forbids me to interfere. The boy has become a man. As a man and a prince, he is left to dictate his own life and make his own mistakes. This period of time after his rite and before he chooses a mate to begin his own household, is when he must prove himself, conquer his rage, and dictate his destiny _on his terms._ No one can intervene with this. Everything, be it good or bad, must be by his choice and by his hand. That way, he alone can claim victory or failure. This is his trial to prove that while he has the blood and the birthright to rule, he must have the strength and the wisdom as well. No man weak of mind and lacking conviction could ever rule long on Vegeta-sei; Saiyajins wouldn't stand for it. I especially am forbidden to council him or direct his actions in any way because I would not always be around to do so and when I passed his rule would fail. Saiyajin kings do not rule through each other."

Everyone silently considered his words. Goten threw a shell into the ocean and watched it skip two dozen times before disappearing in a white crest of a wave. "I don't care."

Usagi winced at the pain in those words.

Gohan sighed. "I'm glad I'm not a prince. I won't interfere. He probably wouldn't listen to a word I said anyway."

Goku frowned in thought. "I don't know Vegeta. What if he gets into a lot of trouble? Someone with that much anger could do a lot of damage." Vegeta simply stared at him, silently willing the other man into agreement.

Usagi couldn't take the tension. "He's gotten a lot better with his temper, Goku, honest."

Goten snorted in distain recalling their last spar session when both of his eyes were blackened and swelled shut.

"Okay," he conceded. "But, if he snaps and starts ki blasting the city then I'm going to stop him."

Vegeta nodded. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that point.

Usagi found it odd that Vegeta didn't demand her promise. '_Maybe he forgot?'_ Somehow, she didn't think that was the case. He demanded her silence but not her promise? What was he up to?

* * *

"Your grip is all wrong." Alan reached forward and adjusted Trunks' grip around the leather handle of the dagger, before signaling him to resume his exercise from the beginning. Ever since the teen's first day when he was marked by a knife, Alan started training him on how to wield blades. Blades were Alan's specialty, and Trunks had gained an interest in the weapon that so easily marked a Saiyajin's body. Again, he halted the teen and adjusted the angle of his arm. Not two minutes later the older man saw yet another flaw. Finally, his patience depleted, he stalked away. "If you're not going to concentrate on what I'm teaching you, then I'll find a more worthwhile use of my time."

Trunks stopped and mopped the sweat from his brow. "I've just got a lot on my mind."

Alan raised an eyebrow and threw his pupil a towel. "Yeah, I could tell," he spat. "The past few days you've been growling every word. You're not fit company for a pack of rabid wolves much less a team of skilled men. Nothing has pleased you. Not the bank robbery on Fifth. Not blackmailing Governor Reese. Not even setting fire to the Art Gallery on Main! So, whatever your problem is, you need to fix it or the Precious, upper management, upstairs is going to fix it for you!"

Alan didn't want his pupil, the trainee's rising star, to get slapped down by the Black Moon Clan's powerful bosses. Usually reprimands from them resulted in a missing limb or death. Many of the Yakuza, their enemies, still kept the tradition of severing a finger joint (usually the pinky) and presenting it to the boss as means of atonement for a wrong committed. The Black Moon thought this tradition had merit. He did not spend countless hours over the last few months training Trunks in the art of knife fighting only to have his grip weakened by missing fingers!

Trunks guessed at his friend's train of thought and snorted. "I'd like to see them try."

"_They_ wouldn't do it! You'd be the one that had to cut your own damn finger joint off!" He deliberately took a deep, calming breath. "What's had you so pissed the past few days? Did someone say something? Did you get a death threat? You know the guys practically worship the ground you walk on and they'd follow you into hell if you asked. We can handle anything that has you worried."

Trunks glanced at his friend indignantly. "I never _worry._ It's just," he glanced away and absent mindedly flicked the dagger into the air. "Well," Alan gritted his teeth and prayed for patience. "There's this girl." Trunks had never spoken about Usagi to anyone at work. He didn't want her touching anything he did – he didn't want her tainted by the violence that was common here. If he had enemies who were stupid enough to challenge him, then she might be a target. However, he was at a loss on how to deal with her. He didn't know how to move their relationship to the next level, and the frustration of it all was killing him. Something had to change soon or he might do something he would regret.

He could hardly discuss this with Goten – he was her brother! He briefly considered getting advice from his father, but that man probably didn't even know what the word romantic meant. So, he had kept his own confidence but to no avail. On countless assignments, he'd witness Alan charm women out of security keys, privilege information, and their clothes. Alan was a master with women – a seducer, a charmer, a charismatic wolf in gentlemanly clothing. If he had to get advice, it might as well be from the best. The other men usually slapped around their women with as many crude words as possible. He didn't want Usagi terrified of him.

"Oh?" Alan couldn't contain his grin. "Girl trouble is it?" He eyed the teen and couldn't believe a girl his own age would deny him much. Trunks had everything – money (Alan distinguished the fine clothing and cultured manner in which he spoke), looks (no scars, deformities, or even the annoying acne that so often plagued youths), and confidence (a take-charge quality that had hardened men turning to him for direction). Girls should be melting at his feet. Then Alan remembered what it was like to be that age and full of raging hormones. Guys sometimes got stupid when girls were around and really made a muddle of everything. Of course, when he had been fifteen it had been many girls, not just one in particular. He didn't waste time or guilt in exploiting his peers' ineptitude.

Trunks frowned fiercely. "It's not _trouble_."

Alan grinned at his defensive tone. It was nice to know the boy had some weaknesses like the rest of the men. "Okay," he placated. "Tell me about your lady."

Trunks blinked in surprise. "My lady? I like the sound of that." He struggled with the idea of opening up. With a quick flick of his wrist, the blade _thunk_ed into the far wall. Alan raised an eyebrow at the amount of force it required to lodge the knife in to the hilt. It wasn't the first time he noticed his pupil's exceptional skills. "Her name is Usagi. I've known her all my life. We grew up together. Her brother was my best friend, and the three of us went everywhere together."

Alan noticed how just talking about her seemed to calm the teen. '_Oh, he's got it bad.'_

"A tragedy happened and, well, my parents became her guardians."

Alan blinked. "She's living with you?" When Trunks nodded, he whistled in disbelief. Falling in love with your best friend's sister was complicated enough, but to have her living under the same roof – that just boggled the mind.

"She just wants to be friends, I can tell, and well … I don't."

"You two get into a fight or something?"

Trunks frowned suddenly furious again. He lashed out and kicked the suspended punching bag. It burst and Trunks dispassionately watched the grainy insides spill onto the training room floor. Alan blinked in shock. Even after months of watching similar feats of careless strength, he was still surprised. '_This girl has a profound emotional affect on him.'_ He mentally tucked away the realization.

"I haven't seen her in three days."

Alan winced. This girl, this Usagi, had a lot more power than she realized. Her actions affected Trunks' mood which in turn trickled down to influence the many other Black Moon soldiers. Even the more jaded soldiers had been walking on egg shells the past few days just to avoid drawing Trunks' notice. Alan stared at the empty punching bag hanging limp and shapeless and didn't blame them. '_What is going to happen when he gets promoted?'_ There was no doubt in Alan's mind that it would happen and soon. Trunks was already on good speaking terms with Sapphire, the Boss' brother. Even Colonel Hemitite was starting to treat Trunks with more respect. The Colonel probably knew Trunks was going to be his boss soon and didn't want to lose his job by disciplining him too harshly. '_This Usagi could affect the entire organization!'_

"I need to think about this. Your situation certainly is unique." Alan figured the only way he could combat this girls' influence would be to help Trunks win her. Maybe if the teen dated her for a while, he'd get bored and move on. Teenagers were just too fickle. Alan did wonder what qualities this girl processed that would enthrall someone who was so hard and ruthless. His pupil rarely showed emotions outside of anger.

"Why her?"

"She's perfect in every way."

Alan tsked. "No one is perfect."

"She is." Trunks' smile was wolfish and Alan briefly felt sorry for anyone who was the focus of such raw intent. "I hate confessions." Trunks turned to the slender man and eyed him defensively. "I revealed a secret to you and now you have to do the same. I won't have you lording my secret over me without having something of equal measure."

Alan frowned suspiciously but nodded his consent. They were trained experts in blackmail after all. "Okay. What do you want to know?"

Trunks studied the man who held himself with a quiet dignity that contrasted greatly with the rest of the cutthroats who made up their coworkers. '_Why is this man different?' _"Why did you join the Black Moon? You're far from a typical recruit."

Alan stared into the ice blue gaze for as long as he dared before he looked away and let the memories wash through him. A scream echoed in his mind. "I had a twin sister, did you know that?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Her name was Ann and I loved her more than anything in this world. She had this smile that was the sweetest thing on earth.

"My father was a weak man. He never got over my mother's death. He turned to drinking and gambling to dull his pain, but his neglect didn't matter 'cause Ann and I had each other. Eventually his gambling debts were so bad no one would lend him money. He lost his friends, his dignity and still he couldn't - _wouldn't_ stop. He started borrowing money from the Yakuza bosses, but his luck never turned around and he owed them too much to ever repay, so they decided to take their payment in blood."

Alan's eyes were glassy with memory. "When we were eight, Ann and I were playing outside in the front yard when they came and took her. I fought for her. I fought three of the biggest, meanest enforcers so hard that they had to stab me four times before I couldn't get back up. I lost so much blood that the sidewalk was stained pink for months afterward. One of those wounds collapsed a lung and I nearly died, but it didn't matter. Ann was gone. I had failed. They found her body a week later." He stopped and took a long breath.

Trunks could practically feel the burning pain and the helpless rage of a younger Alan, trapped in a hospital thinking the worst. He didn't have to ask for details. A Yakuza vengeance killing was always bloody and traumatizing. Usually when a Black Moon trainee saw one for the first time, they were physically ill.

"My father was too weak, too scared to go to the police and point fingers. He knew the Yakuza had connections within the department and he was scared they would lock him up. So, when I was released from the hospital, I spent every waking breath learning everything I could about the Yakuza. Eventually, I discovered that they feared the Black Moon Clan. I made friends with some of the soldiers," he motioned to the room behind him. "Five years later, I joined the Black Moon Clan's ranks and I got my revenge. I cut down everyone who ever touched her." A fierce light filled his eyes.

"Once you're part of the Clan you don't get out and have a normal life. Once a brother, always a brother. Since I was here for life, I decided to be the best. I chose to live by the Blade. A dagger cut me down that day and stopped me. I vowed that I would never fail again. I won't be a blade's victim, instead…" he grinned and whipped out his blade, flipping it expertly over his fingers. "I'm the blade's master."

Trunks considered how he would act if he lost Usagi in such a way. '_The world could not conceive the monster I would become.'_ He'd gladly sacrifice his soul to get revenge, and no amount of pain from his enemies would ever satisfy that thirst for blood. He met the fierce eyes of his friend with his own. They were brothers and soldiers against the hated Yakuza. They would strike down and lay waste to everything that clan valued until all that was left were the hollow shells of broken men.

An idea was born from the righteous anger of the moment. It would take time to set up such a bold move, but Trunks vowed soon they would strike and send the Yakuza scrambling.

* * *

"_Early yesterday evening authorities responded to frantic calls claiming the Art Gallery on Main Street was up in flames, making this the third such fire in the past two months that has plagued downtown Satan City. Authorities claim these fires are the acts of a person or group of people who are deliberately burning down certain buildings. These arsonists leave behind a symbol, a calling card,"_ the television screen flashed away from the reporter's face and showed a close up of a black upside down crescent moon. Usagi glanced up from her computer and shivered at the chills racing up her arms. There was something about that symbol that made her uneasy.

"_The purpose of this symbol is not yet known. Authorities continue to follow all leads in this matter and urge viewers to come forward with any information that may lead to the arrest or conviction of the arsonists. In other news…" _

Usagi never got to hear the other news, since she could feel Trunks' smoldering ki enter the house. Usagi winced when she heard the front door slam and slouched low in the computer chair. Maybe she could hide. Frantically, she looked around the office and considered ducking under the desk. Her conscience sounded suspiciously like Setsuna when it demanded she have more pride. '_Fat lot you know. You've never had to deal with a furious Saiyajin prince.'_ And Trunks was definitely furious.

"Usagi!" he roared and stomped down the hallway.

She could hear Bulma's raised voice reprimanding him for yelling. '_Yeah, like that's going to stop him.'_ Her heart was pounding in overdrive. Suddenly running seemed to be the best course of action. She just scrambled out of the chair when the door flew open and cracked against the wall.

Trunks stalked around the desk, grabbed her by the arms and started shaking her. "Don't _ever_ leave me again! Not for three days, not for three hours. Understand me?"

Usagi gulped and tried not to notice that her toes could just barely brush the ground. She wasn't really surprised by his anger. No one would dare defy him lightly.

Just as soon as he got his hands on her, his anger calmed slightly. He pulled her close and rubbed his cheek against her hair. "I missed you."

Usagi breathed a sigh of relief and tried to ignore the fingers intimately stroking the back of her neck. "I missed you too." She slipped her arms around him and rested against his chest. His body was that of a warrior's – hard and sculpted. '_And warm.'_ She drew strength from that warmth. Strength was something she desperately needed for this coming conversation.

"I had a lot of fun. Everyone was there – even Gohan!" She tilted her head back and waited for him to look down. "Goten misses you. Why haven't you made time for him?" She tried to keep her voice neutral, not wanting to stir his anger so soon.

Trunks tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear before answering. "It's not that simple, Usa. I have a job now, new responsibilities, and I don't have as much time as I once did."

Usagi frowned at the excuse. "That's hardly a good enough reason for ignoring your best friend."

Trunks didn't like her opinion. "Goten is a man now. He can make other friends."

"Friends that can understand him as well as you? You've played around since you were children. Are you just going to throw that away without a fight? Go spend time with him after work!" Usagi attempted to jerk out of his arms, but he tightened his hold.

Trunks frowned. "No." He wasn't sacrificing one minute of his time with her.

"Fine. Then get him a job at your company! You can both be security guards or whatever together."

Trunks shook his head. "Goten wouldn't fit in. He doesn't have the stomach for what I do."

Usagi felt like yanking her hair out in frustration. He was so unyielding. She slipped from his grasp and rounded on him. "You don't care about him do you? You don't care that he's hurting and doesn't know what he did for you to just ignore him. Ever since your rite of passage, you haven't given him the time of day. Why?"

Trunks' fists clenched. "The point of that rite was to put away childish things."

"And that's all Goten is to you now? A _childish_ thing? Someone who reminds you of your life before you became a '_man'_? Well, it doesn't seem very _manly_ to just ditch your friends for no damn reason!"

Trunks growled low, his eyes flashing. "Tread carefully, Usa. You're pissing me off."

"Good! Maybe now you know how Goten feels. It hurts me to see you two at odds, but that doesn't matter to you. You don't care about anyone but yourself do you?"

Trunks eyed her, briefly captivated by the stubborn set of her chin, her flashing blue eyes, and the angry tent to her cheeks. She truly was beauty personified when she was riled like this. "I care about you."

Usagi blinked in shock but didn't let that extinguish her anger. This was too important. For Goten's sake, she had to get him to see reason. "Really? And here I thought I might remind you of a _childish_ thing."

Trunks grinned sardonically. "Oh no, Usa. When I think of you, nothing the least bit childish comes to mind."

Dead stop. Instantly she lost her train of thought. For some reason, this time his too intense gaze made her blush. '_What's happening?'_ "W-We're not talking about me," her voice wasn't commanding or indignant like she wanted it to be. Instead it came out in a quiet, desperate rush.

Trunks slowly advanced. "Oh, I think we are."

Usagi stumbled back a few steps. "Well, until you want to talk about Goten, you can forget talking about me!" She turned on her heel and marched to the door.

"Don't threaten me!"

She glanced over her shoulder and was satisfied to see that anger finally replaced that strange glint in his eyes. "Or what? You're going to ignore me like you ignore him?"

"Usagi, stop."

She froze with one hand on the doorknob. Even when she was furious, something within her couldn't defy a direct order. Suddenly, she resented that part of herself that wouldn't let her take those last few steps and slam the door in his face. '_Damn him!_' Once again, he was taking advantage of his royal status. Usagi glared at the closed door and listened to him step up behind her.

Trunks eyed her tense stance and huffed in frustration. Why did he always seem to say the wrong things to her? This was the first time in a long while that she finally voiced her anger. Usually, she just forgave him and let the matter drop. '_What has changed?'_ The only difference between the conflict of today and the serenity of a week ago was the vacation she had with his family. Trunks scowled. He knew that it wasn't a good idea. She shouldn't be away from him for any length of time – she always returned discontented and rebellious. '_I won't let her leave me again.'_

With that new resolution, Trunks let his gaze drift over her petite feminine form clad in a soft cotton tank top that left most of her shoulders bare and sheer sleep shorts that showed off mile-long legs. He sighed when he saw her clenched fists digging into her waist. Slowly, hesitantly – mentally he reprimanded himself, Saiyajins never hesitated – he traced the graceful line of her neck, letting his fingertips glide over the soft slope of the hollows of her throat. He palmed her shoulders before letting his hands drift down her arms and circle around her dainty wrists. How could someone so small have such a profound effect on him? One last step brought him flush with her back. He stared down at her exposed nape and wondered how much she would freak if he kissed her there.

Usagi trembled slightly when she felt his warm breath waft across the back of her neck. He suddenly seemed so close. '_When did this happen?' _Weren't they angry with each other? She could have sworn he was pissed, but now he was close and touching her so gently. The powerful hands folded around her wrists could crush her bones into powder with little more than a thought. Instead they were tracing her fists, gently coaxing them to open. Usagi quickly snapped her eyes closed and willed herself not to give in. If she relented now, if she lost her anger, then he would win and continue to ignore her brother. Closing her eyes was a mistake because it left her to concentrate only on his scent and the heat at her back. She wanted to just relax back into him and let him surround her with his scent and his warmth. With each breath, she felt her resistance weaken, until her hands relaxed enough for him to loop his fingers through hers.

Trunks brought their linked arms around to cross over her belly. "There now, that wasn't so hard."

Usagi shivered again when she felt his breath stir the hair wisps at the top of her neck. She refused to admit to herself how wonderful being wrapped in his arms really felt. '_I will not yield!'_

Trunks frowned when he noticed she still stood stiffly. "Relax." He tried to pull her against him, but she suddenly jerked away from him and reached for the door.

"I," she faltered. "I can't talk to you right now." Faster than a thought, Usagi whipped open the door and fled, leaving behind a very frustrated prince.

* * *

AN: Review! Tell me what you think. I'm sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out. It took time to drive across country and settle down in San Diego where I'm still on the hunt for a job. I wasn't completely satisfied with this chapter, so it took me a while to finally decide to post it. Let me know what you think. Thank you for all of your kind reviews! I finally broke the 1500 mark. Wow. Just wow. To answer some questions: Cosmic-lover: notice in the last chapter that Setsuna said she only knew of 2 past lives - that didn't mean there couldn't be more though that she doesn't know about. Manga2012 - I love that you're getting frustrated. :)


	32. Xand

Acknowledgements: Special thanks to Trigger, the lovely cocker spaniel who keeps me company in the mornings and inspires me to be lazy, sit a little longer, and write. Also thanks to Ruthy, you always inspire me to reach a little more into the plot. Thank you.

**Chapter 31**

Setsuna stared down at her charge. "What's on your mind, princess? Your body is here but your mind is elsewhere and pondering something troubling. Speak. That is part of my purpose here – to guide you."

Usagi fiddled with a stray leaf that had fallen during the mid-autumn day. It was bright orange and crackled under her hand. "I'm really disappointed with Trunks."

Setsuna stifled a frown. In her opinion, her princess had that young man on her mind a little too often. "What did he do now?" She almost didn't want to know.

Usagi ignored her mentor's wary tone. "He totally ditched Goten as a friend. They used to by inseparable – like white on rice. Now they barely talk. I tried talking to Trunks about it, but he doesn't care. It got me thinking and I'm starting to notice that he doesn't really spend much time with anyone else. His life is just work and me."

"Are you worried he'll start ignoring you too?"

Usagi slowly shook her head. "No. He's never really done that, not for long anyway. I enjoy our time together, but I wish he'd spend time with Goten and his other friends."

Setsuna sighed. "It's his life. He has a right to choose his own friends and how he spends his own time. You can't make those decisions for him."

Usagi mentally rolled her eyes. '_Why not? Trunks thinks he can dictate my life, so why can't I return the favor?'_ She imagined what would happen if she decided to ignore him and hang out with someone else all the time. It was an amusing fantasy, but then she grimaced. '_World War III would happen.' _She honestly feared for the life of her imaginary new friend. She faced facts. Even if she wanted to replace Trunks as a friend, he would never let that happen; so she was stuck trying to cope with his high-handed dysfunctional tendencies.

Suddenly she grinned. '_I wouldn't give him up for the world.'_ Trunks held a special place in her heart and that would never change, no matter how much of a pain in the ass he could be. However, Setsuna did have a point. Besides, it would just be another losing argument. She wasn't autocratic enough to expect Trunks to bend and change just for her. If there was one thing she'd learned it was that, no matter the consequences, Trunks went his own way and to hell with what others thought. If he didn't want to be friends with her brother, than no amount of cajoling or arguing would change his mind.

"I guess you're right. I don't like it though. Goten is so angry and sad. He's too much like our father – happy all the time. He doesn't deserve to feel anything less than that."

"You feel that way because you're a kind-hearted soul who doesn't like conflict. Don't ever regret being that way." Setsuna smiled and gracefully climbed to her feet. "Okay. Break time is over. It's time for us to begin with the next phase of your training. You've grasped a fair competency with manipulating fire. You confronted the anger that fueled this power and have learned to master it. The next gift you received was Jupiter's lightning, correct?"

Usagi paled so fast that she could feel the blood draining from her face, leaving her cold. Ever since the woman entered her life and began training her, she had dreaded this day. '_I _hate _lightning!'_

"You know that your gifts are closely linked with your emotions. So, what emotion did you feel when you received Jupiter's powers?"

Usagi gulped and remembered the glowing red eyes of the massive dragon, the deep rumbling that rattled her insides and burst her ear drums. As if it were yesterday, she could feel the blood and tears trickle down her face to mingle with the rain. "Fear." She couldn't do this. Not now, maybe not ever. Quickly her mind scrambled for a topic that would distract her mentor.

"Before we continue, I wanted to tell you about what happened when I was away at the beach."

Setsuna frowned at the delay but allowed her princess to have her way.

Usagi tried to conceal her relief. "I woke up early the last morning there and decided to meditate on the beach. I breathed just like you taught me and really concentrated on the sound of the waves. When my mind finally settled, I felt something strange." Usagi frowned and tried to find the words to explain so queer a feeling. "At first I felt a great sense of peace. I was so calm; it was as if nothing could shatter that serenity. Then the feeling changed and I felt like I was flying, the wind was whipping through my hair and my heart was racing. I wanted to shout for joy and let my soul dance across the waves. The sound of the surf changed and I heard voices whispering to me, but I couldn't understand what they were saying. Then Goten walked up behind me and broke my concentration." She looked at her mentor's stunned face and rushed to explain. "I know it sounds really off the wall and odd. I was wondering if it had anything to do with, well…my gifts."

"What was the last thing you felt? Before Goten interrupted, what did you feel?"

Usagi blinked. "I felt … expectant, like I was waiting for something. No," she changed her mind and concentrated on the fleeting emotion. "For someone. I was waiting for someone important."

Setsuna frowned and remained silent for a long moment. '_Could it be? Already?'_

Usagi knew that the older woman was carefully considering something and kept quiet, content to delay her lessons a little while longer. She had learned not to rush Setsuna when she was lost in thought. Usagi always imagined that Setsuna were like the three fates from Greek mythology, weaving together lives and linking destinies. When she was lost in thought like this, Usagi imagined she was carefully studying the fabric of time, trying to see where the pattern diverted and why.

"Princess, I have something to tell you. I wasn't planning on having this conversation for quite some time, but things have changed. There are some people I want you to meet. Not now. You don't have to give me an answer right now. I just want you to think about it. Okay?"

Usagi was surprised when she realized exactly how rattled Setsuna appeared. Where was her teacher's infallible calm? "Okay. I don't mind meeting friends of yours."

Setsuna took a deep breath. "They don't live in this country."

"You want me leave?" Usagi was stunned. Leave Trunks? Leave Goten? Her family and all that she knew? "I-I can't do that." She thought about how lonely she was when she was forced to live with the Tsukinos. It was a nothing less than a miracle that she was able to return to this life. There was no way she was going to sacrifice this second chance at happiness, not voluntarily. "No. I'm not leaving."

Setsuna sighed. "I thought you might say that." She stared off into the distance, her face sad. "I must consider this turn of events. Continue your lesson on your own. We'll meet again tomorrow." She turned to leave. "Think about what I said."

Usagi sat in shock for several minutes after Setsuna disappeared. The idea of leaving never even occurred to her, it was so abhorrent. After a while, she pushed it from her mind. There was no use making herself upset about something that would never happen.

"Okay, so lightning." Usagi made a face and glanced at her hands. Why did she have to study that element next? The smell of burning flesh and a remembered deafening boom of thunder caused her to break out into a cold sweat. '_I can't.'_ She took several deep breaths and fought to calm her racing heart. '_Why can't I try ice next?'_

Usagi glanced around to assure herself that Setsuna was long gone. The emotions that linked her to her ice powers were depressing, but it was better than fear. She closed her eyes and thought about how sad she felt huddled in the bed at the Tsukinos. She remembered how truly lonely she was in the stark beauty of her snow dream. Alone in the entire world, she only had a starving arctic wolf to keep her company. A passing breeze had goose bumps crawling up her arms. Since her eyes were closed in concentration, she didn't notice that her breath wafted out in a chilled vapor. '_Why is it so cold?'_ Her muscles seized in a violent shiver that jerked her eyes open and shattered her concentration. Instead of seeing the isolated open practice field surrounded by trees ablaze with various fall colors, she was surrounded by the same barren snow-covered landscape of her dream.

'_No. Not again.'_

_Crack!_ The ice beneath her started to splinter in jagged lines, stretching out across the clearing, with her at the center. Quickly, she climbed to her feet, but a huge gust of wind pushed her back to her knees. It speared through her meager clothing and had her gasping for breath. The frigid wind was just as she had remembered – biting, piercing, as if a thousand needles were shoved against her skin at the same time. The ice below her moaned and shifted.

'_I'm going to-'_

Before she could finish the thought, she was falling. Her hands desperately scraped against the side of the ice cliff, but they only got bloody and raw. She tried to levitate and fly up, but the hail and falling snow kept pummeling her until she could do nothing but fall, frozen with terror and ice. Before she gathered enough breath to scream, the ground suddenly rose up to meet her. Her forehead slammed against a jagged ice rock and blackness consumed her.

* * *

Usagi groaned and struggled to blink open her eyes. Her mind was curiously blank. She couldn't bring herself to move, so instead she stared up at the twinkling stars. The night was unbelievably clear, especially this close to the city. She could make out certain constellations and somehow knew that the red star close to the horizon was really Mars. Usagi realized that it was dark and somehow that was supposed to be significant.

Slowly, since her head started pounding as if someone were using it as an anvil, she craned her neck up and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that instead of lounging on a pile of snow as she feared, she was cushioned by a big pile of crunchy fallen leaves. '_Just a nightmare.'_ Groaning, she attempted to push herself up by her hands and bit back a scream when she felt various aches and pains become excruciating. Her head was the worst of all.

After taking a few measured breaths, willing away the pain, Usagi looked down at her hands and winced at the broken and bleeding fingernails. The skin on her fingertips was filed down until there was only one flimsy layer of protection left. Pain laced every pulse through her fingertips, but it eased slightly when Usagi blew softly over the pads. Her palms were still mostly intact, and she used them to touch her aching head. They came away covered in blood. Usagi stared at her palms stupidly before she remembered the particularly sharp ice rock that broke her fall. '_What a mess.'_ She mopped up a majority of the blood with the fallen leaves of her makeshift pallet. Head wounds always bled profusely.

Quickly, she examined the rest of her body and was relieved that only small lacerations and deep bruises were the worst of her injuries, outside of her hands and her head. '_I guess Setsuna was right. Bad things happen when you try to cut corners.'_ With gritted teeth, she climbed to her feet and swayed there for a long moment, waiting for her head to tailor back from excruciating to merely agonizing. Steeling herself against the pain of the journey ahead, she took a tentative step towards home and cursed when her world tilted. '_Stupid concussion.'_ There was no use. She wouldn't be able to walk back in her condition. Slowly, she concentrated, pushing away her pain, and raised her ki enough to hover just off the ground. Her journey would be more tiring but infinitely smoother if she flew home.

Usagi limped her way up the last few steps to the Capsule Corp. mansion. There wasn't a place on her body that wasn't sore and throbbing. She figured it was what she deserved for her stupidity and arrogance in thinking she could skip the lightning lessons and head straight into ice. '_Fat lot I know,'_ she mentally berated herself as she gathered her light jacket closer to her and checked to make sure her clothing was covering the worst of her injuries. There wasn't much she could do about concealing her head wound outside of sporting a bandanna, but that would be too obvious. Strangely, after her fall, while her body had been torn to shreds, her clothes remained intact. Metaphysical phenomena continued to confuse her.

She shivered from the remembered cold as she walked inside. Of course, with her luck today, Trunks was in the living room watching the door, waiting for her. She was beyond late. Dimly, she was surprised that he hadn't come to find her and haul her home.

"Where the hell have you –" He stopped mid-tirade when he caught sight of her face in the warm light of the entranceway. "What the hell happened?" he snarled out and was suddenly too close.

Usagi saw the fierce glitter of barely suppressed rage in his eyes and couldn't control her shiver. Mentally, she couldn't quite convince herself that her reaction was due to the cold. '_At least his eyes aren't the black pits of the beast.'_ For the first time, she admitted that she didn't want to deal with him right now. She just wanted to sneak up to her room, run a bath, and drown in self-pity for at least an hour.

"Did someone hurt you?" He grabbed her chin and tilted her head to the side so he could better examine the cut above her brow. "Answer me!"

She saw his other fist clench and wondered what he would do if someone _had_ marked her. '_Don't ask questions you won't like the answers to,'_ she cautioned herself. "I-It's nothing. I was just clumsy and fell, is all. It's just a scratch." As if speaking their names gave them a conscious, she shifted when the other 'scratches' that decorated her body throbbed as one. She fervently hoped they healed before Trunks saw them. He'd be furious. Looking at his livid continence – thinned lips, glittering eyes, flushed skin – she mentally amended, '_More furious.'_ A voice in the back of her head that was starting to sound suspiciously like her mentor scolded that this berating was no more than she deserved for her foolishness.

"Fell?"

She flinched at the doubt that laced his tone. Thankfully, righteous anger came to her defense. How dare he not believe her? Sure, she was fudging the truth a little, but he was her best friend and therefore shouldn't question her. "Yes, I fell. On a rock." '_Made of ice,'_ she added mentally. He forced her chin back and to the side, but not before she saw a quick flash of amusement.

"You think this is _funny_? It hurt!" She would have stalked away in a rage or at the very least flounced off in a pout, but she figured any stalking or flouncing would hurt too much. Besides, he gently threaded his hand through her hair and carefully pulled a stray strand back so he could give a thorough examination, she wasn't going anywhere until he let go of her.

"Always clumsy, this time it really caught up with you, huh?"

Usagi gritted her teeth but didn't comment.

The cut was about the length of a finger and stretched diagonally from her hairline to her temple, but it was shallow. After a quick probing that had Usagi sucking in a breath, Trunks knew it wasn't serious and likely wouldn't leave even the faintest of scars when fully healed. There was a sizable bump and deep bruising around the edges that he knew from experience were often more painful that the wound itself. She probably had a headache from hell, but she wasn't in any true danger. His fingers drifted over her cheek; his knuckles feathered over her jaw.

Usagi held herself perfectly still, her mind blank. Something was different. The look in his eyes changed from stark rage, to reluctant amusement, but now they were showing something she couldn't readily identify. Anticipation?

"I don't think this is funny," he murmured, picking up the conversation. "In fact, I'm deadly serious."

Somehow she didn't think they were talking about the same thing anymore. When had the conversation gotten away from her? His unsettling eyes followed his fingers as they gently brushed her hair over her shoulder and slowly traced down the side of her neck. He had to feel her thundering pulse. His thumb slowly tilted her chin up, but his eyes didn't meet hers. They flickered down. Slowly, he leaned forward.

Usagi jerked free and winced as pain ricochet across her nerves. "Stop it." She didn't know what just happened, but she was shaken. Something told her it would have changed everything. The day had been too trying; she was on overload and couldn't handle any more breaks from her routine. She wanted her nice, safe comfort zone back and wanted to turn her brain off for a while. Between Setsuna's revelations and her foolish shortcuts with power, she didn't think she could handle Trunks acting differently.

Trunks growled faintly, anger was quick to follow being thwarted. "Don't you dare order me." His hand whipped out to squeeze the back of her neck in warning. "Ever." As quick as he grabbed her, she was free and he was heading for the door. "You need to be more careful," he called over his shoulder and then was gone.

'_Careful not to fall or careful not to question him?'_ She didn't know.

* * *

Trunks easily dodged the jabbing knife and sidestepped so that the other man had to pivot and change direction. It was second nature to keep his opponent off center and on edge. His father's voice echoed through his head. '_An enemy who acts before he thinks is a dead man walking.'_ He grabbed the wrist holding the knife, twisted and redirected his opponent's momentum by flipping the man over his knee.

Alan continued forward and gracefully rolled to his feet. He rubbed his aching wrist and grinned. "Very good. You're getting better at anticipating the next move. You need to tone down your strength though. I'm not made of titanium, you know."

Trunks shrugged and threw him a towel. The man was sweating like a pig in a bacon factory. Alan glared when he noticed that the teen wasn't even winded. "So, how is it going with your girl? Usagi, right?"

Trunks frowned and couldn't think of anything to say.

Alan took one look at his face and laughed. "That bad huh?" He finished wiping his chest and threw the towel away. "I can't help you unless you give me a little information." Since he knew how Trunks hated to open up especially with anything personal, and this girl was definitely personal, he decided to start small and with simple questions. "Have you ever tried giving her flowers?"

"Flowers?" Trunks scoffed. "Flowers are for sissies. What use are flowers when they die in a week or so?"

Alan shook his head. "You're a barbarian, you know that? Flowers are pretty and some of them even smell nice, all the ladies think so. So what if they're fleeting? It's the gesture that matters. Ever heard of the cliché it's the thought that counts? Well clichés exist for a reason. Maybe you should start to think less about what you're feeling and more about how she feels, because how a woman feels should always be considered."

Trunks chewed his lip in thought. "I guess you're right. But, I can't do the flower thing because giving her flowers is a little too obvious and well….she's skittish."

Alan raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Mayhap she's not the right one for you then. You need someone who won't wilt the first time you glare."

Trunks glared at him, not appreciating his comment. "Oh, she's the one. I meant she's still skittish with the idea. We're still friends in her mind and that's all she wants us to be."

Alan grinned. "Then this is a challenge! You like challenges, as I recall." Trunks couldn't help but grin back. The man's enthusiasm was catching. "That means you're going to have to woo her. Okay, I need some information. I need to know exactly how you've been treating her so that we know how deep the hole is that you're going to have to dig yourself out of." Alan frowned. "Wait, don't you have your meeting with the Precious soon?"

Trunks looked at the clock on the wall. "I've got a while yet."

"Okay, tell me."

So, Trunks did. He told Alan exactly how he treated Usagi over the past few months, what he said to her and how she responded. Every time Alan groaned as if in pain, Trunks rushed to explain his actions. Eventually, he couldn't go further because Alan's face was too filled with horror and pity.

"What?"

Alan opened his mouth to speak but no words would come. Eventually he just shook his head.

"_What?_" Now Trunks was starting to get annoyed.

"Let me get this straight. You care about her _so much_ that you don't like her going off without you. You don't take her out yourself, and you actively keep her cooped up inside. You actually get angry when she expresses a differing opinion than yours."

"When we're together, I let her pick what we do most of the time," Trunks tried to defend himself, but for some reason he felt embarrassed.

"_Let_? You _let_ her? Oh dear lord, I need a drink." Alan looked around helplessly, but the training room didn't have a handy side bar. "This is worse than I thought."

Trunks couldn't help but grin. "This isn't half as bad as my father."

"There is no way it could be worse." Alan's voice was deadpanned and weary.

Trunks laughed a little. "My father doesn't call my mother by name. He refers to her simply as 'woman'."

Alan was quiet for a long moment. "You're right. That is worse." It made him feel slightly better that the teen came by his chauvinistic attitude honestly. It apparently was a hereditary trait that was passed down from one barbarian to another. "Okay. You're determined to win this girl? It would be so much easier if you started with someone new. You're in a hole so deep you're about to fall out the other side of the world."

Trunks crossed his arms. "There is only Usagi."

Alan sighed in resignation. Trying to reform his pupil was going to take so much time and effort that he almost turned it down then and there. '_What the hell.'_ It wasn't like he had anything better to do. Maybe it could be like a hobby. "At least you dress nicely and have some manners." His mother must be quite the lady. "That means we don't have to start from the ground up.

"From what I can see, your heart is in the right place, but your timing is a mite off. I'll explain. The last conversation you had, you tried to kiss her, right?"

Trunks shrugged but eventually nodded when Alan just stared at him.

"Okay, do girls usually go around kissing their friends?"

"Some girls have the whole 'friends with benefits' thing…"

Alan tried to keep his patience. He knew the boy was smart, so why was it hard for him to accept facts? '_Maybe he's just too stubborn…' _"Is your Usagi like those girls?"

Trunks shook his head.

"So..."

He rolled his eyes. "So, no, girls don't usually kiss their friends."

"Who do they kiss then?"

He frowned. "Their boyfriends."

Alan applauded dramatically. "Give the man a prize! Now, here's a harder question, are you her boyfriend?"

Trunks growled with annoyance. "That's what I've been trying to –"

"Uh uh. Answer the question."

"No," he admitted through gritted teeth. "I'm not her boyfriend…yet." He couldn't help but add that last part.

"Since you're not her boyfriend, or romantically attached to her in any way, you can't go stealing kisses. You have to earn them first."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

Alan shook his head sadly. "Don't you know anything? You have to make her _want_ to date you. Wine and dine her. Take her out. Go have fun together. Compliment her. Flirt. Bring her flowers. Compose a song and sing it to her."

Trunks sputtered. "I'm not musically inclined. She'd probably start to cry or try to put me out of my misery."

"Well, go make a fool of yourself over her; girls like that kind of thing." Alan could see that his stubborn pupil was finally starting to think. "All I'm saying is you're trying to skip all of the fun part and jump right into the closeness of a relationship. If you want this relationship to last, then you've got to do it right – no shortcuts. Is this girl worth the extra time and effort? Of course she is! We wouldn't be having this conversation otherwise. Now, you have to show her she's worth all of that and more. If you do that, _then,_ maybe, you can move on to kissing."

Alan saw Trunks' bewildered expression and took pity on him. "We'll start off with something simple. All you have to do is listen. When she speaks, actually listen to what she's saying. When you two talk, consider what she's feeling. Shift your focus from your wants to hers. Women tend to notice if you're completely engaged or just a warm body filling space."

Trunks nodded. His focus immediately shifted when he glanced over at the wall and noticed that it was nearly time for his meeting with the Precious, or rather Diamond and Sapphire. When he first realized that the upper echelon was nicknamed the Precious, after precious stones, Trunks simply shook his head. What idiocy. "Walk with me." He didn't wait for the other man to reply, he simply led the way out of the private training room and into the larger warehouse where the rest of the soldiers trained.

"Xand," one soldier called out causing Trunks to turn his head at his nickname. "We heard you were mounting an offensive attack against the Yakuza."

Trunks shrugged but didn't break stride as he made his way to the elevators. "We'll see."

Alan elaborated. "He's meeting with the Precious right now for their approval."

"You have a plan?" another soldier called out.

Almost all of the trainees swarmed closer to hear. Trunks simply grinned. Whispers broke out. "Xand will crush the Yakuza." "Xand will lead us."

The soldiers quickly backed away and cleared a path between him and the elevator.

Colonel Hemitite barged out of his office. "What is the meaning of this? Back to work!"

Not a soul moved. "Will we get to a piece of the action? Come on, Xand, we've all trained hard."

Trunks turned at the elevator and waited while Alan pressed the correct code and inserted a key. He studied the eager faces of the soldiers chomping at the bit to get a chance to show off their skills. His grin was chilling. "Oh, yes, we'll all get a chance for some fun."

Alan wasn't the only one who shivered at the teen's idea of fun. The elevator doors closed and Trunks waited for their ascent into the tower. His thoughts turned to the coming meeting. "Tell me, Alan, what do you know about Diamond? How did he become the boss?"

"Diamond and Sapphire were the sons of the Old Boss. There wasn't a meaner, more ruthless snake ever to walk the Earth. He was someone who needed killing, but it's just sad when your own blood is the one to do the killing. No one knows exactly the _how_ of it, but we know it was Diamond. Of course, no one's confronted him about it either," Alan's eyes twinkled with mirth. "Our purses have doubled and doubled again since he's been in power; so who are we to complain?

"As for Diamond, well, he's ambitious. He's always looking for more power, more money, more everything. He's not bad, not like the Old Boss, as long as you're not in the way of what he's wanting of course. Get in his way at your own peril. He's crafty, sneaky, and is always planning. Let's just say that I'm glad I'm on his side."

* * *

Diamond propped his arm up and leaned against the floor-to-ceiling windows in his office. He gazed out over the city with dispassionate eyes and didn't even glance away when his brother entered the room from the secret panel that connected their offices. The city was literally in the palm of his hands. He had politicians, police, and countless business owners breaking their backs to support his dreams. And yet…he wasn't happy. His life wasn't as complete as he envisioned it would be at this stage. All his life, he had goals and went to great lengths to meet those goals, but recently he didn't give a damn anymore. He felt dead inside, lifeless.

"I have a purpose, brother. I run an influential organization. I have power, I strike fear into the hearts of others. I have so much money that I could never spend it in my lifetime. So, why am I not happy? What's missing?" There. He finally admitted it out loud. His younger brother was wiser in some ways than he could ever be. He valued his counsel and so was the only one with whom he could ever discuss his innermost thoughts.

Sapphire stopped shuffling his papers and stared at Diamond's back. It seemed the weight of his empire was finally settling around his shoulders. "I don't know, brother. Maybe all you need is a new challenge? Everything came so easily to you. Even killing our father wasn't too difficult, may he rot in hell. Concentrate more on suppressing the Yakuza. That should put more light in your life."

Diamond growled in frustration and finally turned to face the other man. "Don't you see? I could squash them like an ant at anytime, but I keep them around simply because they provide some amusement." He grabbed his favorite wine glass that was always in reach and hurled it against the far wall, but he found no satisfaction in the red streaks dripping onto the floor.

Sapphire held his breath, not wanting to provoke his brother when he was in a rare temper. Usually heads rolled when Diamond lost his cool. "Maybe you need a woman?"

Diamond scoffed. "Women are nothing. I can have a dozen at my beck and call more readily than I can piss."

Sapphire shook his head. "Not women, but a woman. Someone you can share your life with."

Diamond laughed drily. "Trying your hand at matchmaking, are you? I didn't know you cared."

Sapphire ignored his brother's taunts. "You'd be surprised how someone special can change everything." He thought about the lady friend he was currently seeing. "If you're going to scorn my advice, then why ask it?" Sapphire didn't wait for his brother to belittle him again. He pulled some papers from his briefcase and presented them, smoothly changing the subject. "We're about to have a meeting with the eager young man who saved my life."

Diamond glanced down at the papers before carelessly tossing them across his desk. "That's right. Your pet project. How is he doing these days? Did he even pass through training?"

Sapphire couldn't contain his grin. "Haven't you heard? He's practically running the trainees. Apparently he's made quite an impression. Colonel Hemitite spends most of his days in his office. Ironically, under Trunks' direction, the trainees are more fit and ready for action than any I've seen. He's a natural leader of men. The trainees have already picked out a stone name for him."

Diamond frowned, surprised. This was interesting. "They have that much confidence he'll be promoted so high so quickly? Did he encourage this naming?"

Sapphire shook his head. "From what I gather, he was completely against it."

"What is the name?"

"They chose Alexandrite. Trunks rejected the nickname Alex since it was too androgynous. It could be either a male or female. No matter how many times they tempted him with tales of Alexander the Great, a world conqueror, he wouldn't budge. They were insistent on the name though, so they settled on Xand. You should hear the soldiers bragging about Xand to our factions in the capital. He's already made quite a name for himself." Sapphire gave his brother a moment to absorb this new turn of events before continuing.

"Xand has come up with a plan to crush the Satan City branch of the Yakuza by leading a forward assault and hitting them where it hurts – their wallets. I've looked over his proposal and I approve. He's going to make a hell of a general."

Diamond raised an eyebrow. This was especially surprising coming from his brother, a man who was notorious for being critical and stingy with praise. "You think to promote him soon?"

Sapphire shrugged. Not wanting to let on how eager he was to work more directly with Xand. The teen was turning into quite a talented surprise. "You should see for yourself."

Right on time, the secretary's discreet knock signaled the new arrival. Trunks didn't wait for her to announce him; instead he strolled in, shoulders back, expression fierce. He nodded once to Sapphire in greeting and turned his attention to Diamond. With quick, decisive statements, he outlined the particulars of his plan and waited.

Diamond didn't let on how impressed he was. The teen was truly a surprise. He picked up the hitherto forgotten papers and read the detailed reports. "How long do you think it would take to mount this assault? It's multifaceted and will take more resources than you've planned for."

"I disagree, sir. It'll only take a week to complete the surveillance."

Sapphire bit back a grin. "To complete the surveillance? You've already started it then?"

Trunks shrugged nonchalantly. "Some of the more eager soldiers wanted homework."

Diamond didn't like that he had gone behind his back to do some independent work, even if it was for the advantage of the Black Moon as a whole. Trunks and Diamond locked gazes, each chilling and ruthless. Finally, Diamond threw the papers back onto his desk. "Do it. You'll lead, but Colonel Hemitite will lead the back up team and will be authorized to step in if he feels the need to do so. I'm not losing valuable men if you're wrong and things backfire."

Trunks glared but nodded in acceptance. "Just make sure the old man stays out of my way."

Diamond waited until he was once again alone with Sapphire before speaking. "You might be right. We'll see how he handles command. If he's as competent as you seem to think he will be, then he'll be the youngest general in the history of the Black Moon."

* * *

A week passed by a lot faster than Trunks expected. Despite getting caught up in the frenzy of preparing for their big attack, he took the time to take Alan's advice. Instead of demanding, he stopped and made a point to listen more. Usagi even surprised a laugh out of him a time or two.

The day of the assault, Trunks woke early and flew out into the woods searching for something beautiful. He painstakingly picked the most perfect white blossom off a fragrant gardenia bush and slowly flew home with it cupped in his palms to protect it from the wind. After sneaking into her room, he left it next to her pillow and brushed her hair back from her face. Just thinking about her expression when she woke almost tempted him to call off the Yakuza smack down and stay home. Maybe Alan was right. This could be fun.

Many of the soldiers had arrived at work early. They were nervous for their first battle and couldn't sleep much the night before. Trunks stared at the ragtag group of worriers and tried to remember what he felt before his first battle. The World's Martial Arts tournament had been many years ago, but Trunks couldn't remember feeling anxious. He had been too pissed at Usagi for lying to him. The thirst for battle was in his blood; it was as natural to him as breathing. However, he couldn't leave these men in their current state of mind. '_What I wouldn't give to have a small army of Saiyajins at my back.'_ Then, this conversation wouldn't be necessary.

"You've been trained by the best." Some of the men grinned at his arrogance. "This is our chance to show everyone exactly what we're made of. Remember your training and most importantly don't act on emotion. You have a brain; use it. Don't disappoint me."

By midday all of the soldiers were in place. Close surveillance revealed that much of the Yakuza bankroll was being financed by their dockside activities. In their spare time, a few of the Black Moon soldiers followed some of the Yakuza lieutenants and discovered that a huge tanker docked in the Satan City harbor was the stage for much of their lucid illegal activities. It was genius really. Many of the false containers of shipment were connected into a series of hallways and compartments. These hidden passages were where drugs were made and sold and where guns and ammunitions were housed and auditioned off to the highest bidder. At the first sign of trouble, the ship could make its way out into international waters or simply sail to another Yakuza-controlled port. Trunks knew that if he could take out the tanker, then the Yakuza would be crippled. He wanted to hit them at the end of the day, when the most soldiers were on board. It was time for them to pay for all of the trouble they caused. He would get revenge for Alan and Alan's dead sister.

Trunks divided his forces into teams. One would keep watch on police surveillance and block off the streets surrounding the tanker. They already instructed one of their police contacts to keep all emergency calls from making it through to dispatch. The police would not be coming to save the day. One of the teams would go undercover as a construction crew and redirect traffic; another team would get into a dramatic car wreck. The two cars and the resulting tow truck would block off the roads nicely. It wasn't in their best interest to injure civilians or let any innocents get caught in the crossfire. Besides, one of the civilians could be a business owner who was bankrolling their operation. It wasn't good business to shoot the golden geese.

Another team would infiltrate the tanker itself. The initial team would enter through the water and take out the guards keeping watch, making way for the rest of the team. As they cleared each hallway, a pair of soldiers would keep watch at every intersection, creating a checkpoint. This would insure that no Yakuza reinforcements could ambush them from behind.

A third team would quickly follow the second. They were the frontal assault team. Their first priority would be to eliminate all Yakuza soldiers. When the threat was neutralized, their secondary initiative was to destroy all drugs and confiscate any guns or ammunition that the Black Moon might be able to sell. They weren't entirely sure exactly what they would find on board the tanker, since only the elite of the Yakuza were allowed complete access to the entire ship, and their spies hadn't been able to infiltrate that high up into their ranks.

Trunks wanted to be close enough that he could help if the soldiers encountered any unexpected difficulties but wanted to be far enough away to watch the action unfold. If the police did make an appearance, as unlikely as that was, then they had to have enough advance warning to get their people out. Therefore, Trunks commandeered an office in a nearby business building where he had the best view. He required all team leaders to have open communication with him.

Colonel Hemitite waited in the basement of the same office building with a group of seasoned soldiers. They were the back up team. In case everything went to hell in a hand basket, they would rush in and try to save the day.

Right at 4 o'clock, everything happened all at once. A furl of black smoke accompanied by the cacophony of honks signaled that drivers were pissed traffic came to a dead stop on the east side of the street. Trunks glanced to the west and was satisfied with the large bulldozer surrounded by a multitude of bright orange cones. The team leaders reported in that everything was falling into place.

The first snag came when the third team encountered a dead end. They had systematically sectioned off each hallway, and only found a few guns and small amounts of drugs. It wasn't anything like they were expecting. Something wasn't right. Trunks could hear the frustration in many of their voices as they reported back. What was really strange was they hadn't encountered nearly as many enemy soldiers as expected. They had kept watch all day today and had yet to see even a fraction of the soldiers they knew were there. Where was everyone?

"I'm coming down." Trunks threw down his mike and headed out the door. After all the work they had done, he wasn't about to let the operation fail. He knew they were down there, they were just hiding like the rats they were.

The soldiers manning the deck nodded to him as he passed. Many of the teams even jerked out a quick salute, which was completely unnecessary since he was the same rank they were. Trunks quietly met up with the front most assault team and studied the dead end. He motioned for silence when the team leader attempted to recount his actions. Trunks sent out his senses and slowly turned to study the floor. Most of the kis on the tanker were below his feet.

"They're underneath us. This is a dummy hallway." '_Clever. The enemy made a false entrance just in case the ship was boarded._' He motioned for the troops to spread out and begin searching for a hidden mechanism that might trigger a trap door. Really he just wanted them away so he could blast through the floor. However, Alan wouldn't budge. He staid close and watched his pupil from around the corner. He wasn't about to leave his friend without backup.

Trunks went down to his knees and literally punched his way through the floor. His back covered the fact that his fist was glowing with ki and when the hole was big enough, he worked his fingers through and pried it wider. He needed the opening big enough for his team to fit through and they had a lot of equipment.

Alan's jaw dropped when he saw the results of his work. "That is steel. How did you…" He knew the boy was strong, but that was inhuman.

Trunks looked over his shoulder and shrugged. "It was flawed and had a weak point in the metal."

Alan didn't appreciate being lied to. He wasn't born yesterday. When Trunks called the team back over, Alan heard the soldiers attributed the hole to Trunks' weapons expertise. '_What else has he done that we've so neatly chalked up to his_ expertise_?'_ Alan thought back to all of the assignments Trunks completed so smoothly - the fires, the explosions. It was all suspect. '_Just how strong is he?' _He thought back over the past week and realized that maybe he shouldn't have teased the youth quite so much. It could be dangerous to his health to truly offend someone so strong.

The first team dropped down and did a preliminary sweep of the next floor. Trunks followed. Alan was going to argue that Trunks should return to the command center, especially since he wasn't outfitted for the assault team; but after seeing him in action, he kept quiet. Trunks wasn't armed, but at least he had his bulletproof vest on. Alan quickly followed.

Not five minutes later everything went to shit.

Apparently, the Yakuza didn't limit their financial options. They weren't just into drugs and weapons dealing. They were also into human trafficking. The soldiers were all shocked when they descended into a den of lust. There were girls, countless girls of all races and shapes, most were young. There were even a few young boys. They were all kept in small individual cells, each with an impossibly small bed. Some were dressed in tattered clothing. Others weren't dressed at all. The room smelled of lust and musk, body odor and dried sweat. A handful of soldiers, off duty, in various stages of undress were "sampling the goods".

Trunks started shaking. "Get them out of here."

As one, the team moved forward flashing guns, shouting demands. Some of the girls screamed and shrank back against their beds. Most of them were too emotionally depleted to react at all. The Yakuza cursed and lunged for their discarded weapons, but they were too slow. Alan watched as Trunks locked eyes with one blond girl. Her eyes were glassy and numb and her hair was oily from neglect.

Then something amazing happened. Trunks completely lost his mind. Alan watched as their leader began to swell with rage. He snarled something under his breath and raced out of the room. The troops ran, attempting to give him cover, but he didn't need it. Trunks was beyond reason, beyond belief. He grabbed the first Yakuza soldier he came across and nearly tore him in half. Alan joined the rest of the troops and together they watched Trunks leave a path a destruction and blood in his wake. It was almost sickening to see such brutality. Trunks was on a warpath. He fought his way down the heavily guarded hallway and into a warehouse lined with crates. It was full of soldiers and they were all armed and waiting.

At some point, a team leader radioed Colonel Hemitite. Back up was on the way. Alan just stood there and stared at the animal that was his friend. He knew that they were all in danger. Somehow he knew that when the boy finished tearing into the Yakuza soldiers, that he would turn on his own men, just for the sport of it. Violence and blood lust ruled his mind. Alan started praying for a miracle. How could he possibly calm him? Of all the soldiers there, he had the best relationship with Trunks, it fell on his shoulders. Surely he could talk some sense into him.

'_No. He wouldn't listen. I don't have that kind of influence over him.'_ The word influence resonated in his mind. '_But I know who does.'_ He prayed it would work. When the back up soldiers arrived, lead by Colonel Hemitite, Alan used the resulting chaos to slip from the room unnoticed.

* * *

Usagi couldn't stop grinning. She smelled the gardenia flower for the millionth time that day and tucked it behind her ear yet again. It was a hopeless gesture because in about 10 minutes she would take it down again and stare at it. It was too perfect.

She knew Trunks had left it for her. Something had changed with him. She didn't know what, but she was grateful. He was…sweet. Usagi giggled and danced around the room. She suddenly froze and reached up to make sure the flower was in place. He would be off work soon and she wanted to give him the biggest hug right when he walked in the door.

Her happy delirium was shattered by the frantic pounding at the front door of the mansion. '_Who could that be?'_ She was about to open the door when it started rattling again from the force of the frantic pounding.

She opened the door to reveal a handsome man. He had a rugged appearance that would have been attractive, if he wasn't currently pale and sweating. '_He looks…scared.'_

"Yes?"

Alan stared down at the incredibly beautiful creature who answered the door. She had blond hair tied up into the strangest style and clear blue eyes that seemed to pierce his very soul. Somehow he knew that this was the girl who had his pupil tied up in knots. "Are you Usagi?"

Usagi nodded. "Do I know you?"

He ignored her question and got right to the point. "It's Trunks, he's –"

Usagi paled. "What? He's what?"

Alan shook himself and gathered his thoughts. "He's…beyond reason. I've never seen someone so strong, so …"

"Angry," Usagi finished for him. An enraged Trunks would be more than enough to panic even the hardest of men. "Take me to him."

Alan breathed a sigh of relief, but didn't argue with his good fortune. When he was walking up to the door, he briefly considered lying to her just to get her in the aircar. Not many women rushed to confront men when they were truly enraged; just as not many men relished women in tears. He just hoped that her influence with the teen would be enough. '_If not, then we'll need a miracle.'_ He directed her to the sports aircar he'd stolen and pushed its speed to the limit when he drove faster than he ever had in his life. Thankfully the docks weren't far.

"You're one of his coworkers, aren't you?" Usagi broke from her somber thoughts to regard the handsome man who handled the aircar with effortless skill. He jerked his head down once but didn't take his eyes off the road or the cars blurring past.

"What happened?" She didn't want to pry into Trunks' work because he was always tight-lipped about the details, but she wanted to be prepared.

Alan glanced at her briefly before jerking hard on the wheel and punching the vertical lift so that they careened over a slow-moving soccer mom van and took a sharp turn around a warehouse. "We are taking down a group of bad people. Everything was going like clockwork and then he just snapped. He got angry and started attacking people and wrecking the place."

They skidded to a halt outside a large industrial-sized ship docked in the harbor. It seemed benign enough until Usagi reached out her senses and found Trunks' smoldering ki threatening to implode the hull. "Thank you for bringing me." She climbed out of the car.

Alan shook his head and ran ahead of her to clear the way through the Black Moon soldiers keeping watch. "Don't thank me."

It took longer than Usagi liked to work their way through the maze of hallways and checkpoint after checkpoint of soldiers. She wanted to just rush through them and straight to Trunks, but a lifetime of subterfuge gave her added patience. Finally, when they grew close to the action there were no organized soldiers, only pandemonium. The smattering of gunfire, the residual smoke from flash grenades, and soldiers shouting orders all made up the chaos of the battlefield. The crazy zigzagging of red dots from the sights of automatic weapons looked like a macabre imitation of disco lights. The screams of pain and curses echoed from the four walls, bouncing off the stacked crates that lined the room. And in the middle of it all was Trunks, bloody fists flying. His feral snarl was the last thing his enemies saw before being discarded to the side like so much useless flesh. A bloody trail of bodies marked his slow and steady path across the room. He was heading straight into the gunfire and smoke.

Usagi watched the whole scene with a calm that amazed her companion. She couldn't take her eyes from Trunks. '_Why hasn't he transformed into a Super Saiyajin?'_ Then she realized it wasn't necessary. Even with rage dictating his actions, he was practical enough to realize that it would be a waste of energy. Humans were physically weak, so there was no need to pull out all of the stops. The power of a Super Saiyajin would be overkill in the extreme, like using a nuclear warhead to take out a spider web.

"Can you help?" Alan was almost afraid to ask. How could a girl so small possibly stop _that_?

Usagi tore her gaze away from her prince and smiled softly up at him. "Yes. See if you can't get this side to stop shooting." She turned and calmly walked into the smoke. Bullets whizzed past her, but she was faster thanks to her Saiyajin heritage. To the human eye, it looked as though the bullets simply missed her, when in actuality she shifted minutely to the side and back again – neatly dodging without making it obvious.

Cautiously, she approached Trunks as if he were a rabid wild animal who might turn on her at any moment. "Trunks," she called out softly, knowing that his enhanced hearing required little more than a whisper. No change. He didn't even pause as he ripped the rifle from the enemy soldier's hands and then beat his face into a bloody pulp with the butt of the gun. When the man dropped, Trunks dropped the rifle and lunged for his next target.

"_Prince,_" Usagi tried the Saiyajin language next, hoping that his beast would respond to the language of his blood. Trunks stiffened and let the man's shirt slip from his fingers. The soldier hastily scrambled back to the safety of the crates, tripping over the bodies of his fallen comrades.

Trunks turned towards her. Usagi watched the snarl mold into a pleased smirk and the chilling black eyes warm as he watched her walk to him. The Black Moon soldiers finally heeded Alan's urgings and ceased fire when they saw their leader change direction.

"We can't just leave him in the line of fire without any cover!"

Alan was shaking his head and about to start arguing when he noticed the silence.

"Look!"

"He's stopped!"

"Who's that?"

"What's happening?"

The soldiers on both sides of the warehouse started muttering to themselves. Alan peaked over the crates and couldn't believe she had stopped him. '_Her power over him is incredible.'_

Usagi breathed a small sigh of relief when his focus centered on her. Her friend's black eyes weren't a surprise, she knew that his rage had taken hold and caused him to be so violent. She was extra cautious since her experiences with his darker half haven't always been the most pleasant. He didn't growl at her or try to grab her; instead he seemed controlled, leashed and focused. Apparently, Trunks was gaining more control over his power. She sent up a prayer of thanks. This would be nearly impossible if he were the same reckless beast she encountered before her rite of passage in early spring. She stopped just out of arm's reach and waited for him to make the next move.

Trunks didn't take his eyes from her. The rest of the warehouse dropped away from his awareness until there was only her. He slowly circled around her and breathed in her soft scent. Something in her calmed him, until he could almost think with reason. Usagi tensed when he made his way behind her but knew better than to turn and face him. He would take it as a challenge, and that was the last thing she wanted to do. Instead, she studied the carnage surrounding her and gulped back the tightness in her throat. She wanted to cry at the senseless loss of life. There was blood everywhere. Even though she was working on her aversion to violence, this was hardly the time for her to test her newfound courage.

Trunks circled back in front of her, closer than before.

Usagi stared at his blood-soaked Kevlar-encased chest when she couldn't meet his soulless black eyes. "_I want to go home," _she mumbled out in their native language. "_Let's go home."_

Trunks tilted his head to the side and studied her pale face. "_Home,"_ he growled out. His voice sounded as rough as gravel and much closer to a real Saiyajin's accent. Usagi couldn't bring herself to growl quite a fiercely as many of the sounds required, so her version of their tongue was much softer than normal. Something in her heart ached when she heard him speak like this, as if she were soaking under the hot sun back on Vegeta-sei.

When he reached for her, she couldn't help but tense. Trunks did something he had never done before when he was in this state. His hands stopped just short of touching her. "_What?"_

Usagi's eyes widened. He wanted to know what was wrong with her! She didn't know if she could explain that he made a very imposing sight. His black eyes were intimidating enough, but he was covered in blood and meatier chucks that she didn't want to identify. His purple hair was nearly brown from all of the dried blood splatter. There was very little that linked this being with the best friend that she knew. Instead of answering, she slowly reached up and tugged at the Velcro keeping his vest in place. He could dodge bullets and therefore had no need of the extra protection. When it dropped to the floor, it revealed unmarked patches of clean shirt and she sighed with relief. He seemed less the monster on a rampage and more like a warrior fresh from battle.

Trunks looked down at himself and tried to see her as she saw him. The blood didn't even register in his mind as a problem, but he made the mental leap that she was more comfortable with him this way. The beast within didn't try to reason or to think of consequences, he simply reached down and pulled off the rest of his shirt, leaving himself bare but for a sweat-soaked undershirt. When he looked up again, he basked in her wavering smile.

Usagi slipped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. This Trunks was infinitely more approachable. She heard his heart thundering under her ear and felt his arms pull her closer. They staid like that for a long moment, wrapped in each other's arms in the center of a warzone. Both sides watched on with equal parts awe and confusion. The Yakuza soldiers were simply thankful that the raging soldier had finally stopped his one-sided annihilation. The Black Moon soldiers were relieved that their commander seemed to be gaining his sanity. Maybe the chaos would end. It didn't take long for the soldiers to start whispering about "Xandra".

Usagi slowly pulled back but linked fingers with her best friend. After glancing at both sides of the warehouse, watching the soldiers peek over the piles of crates, she finally addressed the room as a whole. "We are leaving." She didn't have to raise her voice to be heard, the silence was absolute.

"No!" Alan heard Colonel Hemitite growl from behind a crate. "He's not going anywhere until I say he can go. He's on our side; he can't just walk away during the middle of a battle."

Alan thought the man must be having a mental breakdown because no one in his right mind would challenge someone so on-edge. They should be getting down on their knees and thanking this girl for saving their lives.

Usagi glanced towards the crate where the commands were coming from with pitying eyes. "No, sir. Right now, he's on my side."

Alan heard the Colonel growl and was genuinely shocked when the man peeked from his cover to aim his gun at the girl.

Usagi glanced down in time to see two red beads of light – one from each side of the warehouse – hover over her heart. Alan expected her to scream in fear or scramble out of the line of fire. Instead she shook her head sadly and muttered. "Fools."

Trunks suddenly disappeared and in the next breath, the Colonel and some nameless Yakuza soldier who had decided to take advantage of the distraction and get in on the killing were dumped into the center of the warehouse at Usagi's feet. She merely stepped back and averted her gaze when Trunks swooped down and started pummeling them. She knew that there was no way she could stop him from eliminating any threat to her. If these soldiers had simply let them walk away, then they would have lived out the day.

The Colonel rolled to avoid the first lashing fist, causing Trunks to miss and crack the cement floor instead of the man's skull. His other fist quickly followed the first and didn't miss. The once fierce commander screamed when his jaw literally disconnect from his face and hung like a useless lump of flesh by a few stray tendons. Trunks turned to the Yakuza soldier who was trying to run for cover and started systematically breaking his limbs until the man was moaning and writhing on the floor pathetically trying to crawl to safety by using his head to pull the rest of his broken body. Then, the beast that was Trunks started having fun.

Usagi kept her eyes closed and tried to block out the screams and the wet sucking sounds of the inside tissues getting battered. Finally, silence descended, signaling Trunks was finished exacting his revenge. She opened her eyes and saw him slowly rise from the bloody mass. He was covered in fresh blood splatters and more meaty chucks. His black soulless eyes seemed to vibrate with some intense emotion.

Usagi couldn't stop her gaze from flickering down and she quickly choked back a sob and fought to keep down her last meal. The bodies at her prince's feet were no longer that of men, they were now an indistinguishable mass of raw hamburger meat with lumps of jutting splintered bones to give them shape. The only thing left proclaiming their humanity were strips of bloodied clothing floating in the gore. She closed her eyes and fought not to breath deeply. The stench would be her undoing.

"If you value your lives," she motioned to the bodies. "And your deaths, then you will leave us now." She didn't think she could go anywhere with Trunks right now, so the best she could do to protect the others in the room was to get them out.

Alan blinked. "You can't expect us to just leave you here alone with him."

Trunks turned his black gaze towards the Black Moon troops, searching for the speaker. Usagi reached up and placed shaking, cold fingers on Trunks' cheek to turn his gaze back to her. "I'll be fine. Just go."

The Yakuza didn't need any more urging. They quickly filed out a hidden doorway at their backs. The leader of the troops was the last to disappear. He turned back to consider the petite girl who had saved them and prevented a slaughter. "Thank you."

Usagi nodded slightly. She mumbled to Trunks in the Saiyajin language and kept him distracted when she felt him tense to follow his enemies. "_No, stay with me, prince. They have learned their lesson. They fear you now and will not defy you again."_

"_Die. Threat. Kill._"

Usagi cupped his neck, placing the heel of her palm across his pulse. "_As long as you're with me, I'm safe. Stay with me. Protect me."_ She knew he would keep her safe no matter how much he wanted to fight.

Trunks growled but let her have her way. She was finally in his arms, touching him and it felt better than killing the small army of weak fools escaping. Even though he knew it was foolish to let any threat to her live, he was too happy in that moment to care. He pulled her closer to him and breathed in her scent

Usagi tried to ignore the warm congealing blood that he painted on her with every touch of his hands. The gore didn't even rate a footnote in his mind.

Alan staid behind just to make sure she would be safe. After all, he was the one to bring her into this blood bath; he would feel beyond guilty if anything happened to her. So, he peaked around the crate one last time and gasped.

Trunks, his black eyes glowing with intent, threaded his bloody fingers through her hair and jerked her head up. Usagi didn't have time to flinch from the burning gaze. The beast that was Trunks leaned down and kissed her. She gasped and tried to jerk back, but he held her tight and plundered her mouth. He swept in and aggressively staked his claim. The kiss was hot and intense and seemed to last forever. Usagi couldn't think, she could only feel. She felt hot, suddenly her clothes were too tight, too restricting. For one insane second, she just wanted to give in to the moment and explore these new feelings together with Trunks.

'_Oh god, Trunks,' _But this wasn't her best friend. This was his rage personified. More importantly, '_This is my first kiss.'_ It wasn't sweet and romantic like she always dreamed it would be, instead it was hot and raw and … '_Wrong. This is wrong.'_

Usagi jerked from his grasp and stumbled back a few steps. Unfortunately, she tripped over the many bodies littering the floor and promptly landed in the hamburger mesh of the two soldiers. Horror-filled screams echoed through the deserted warehouse as she quickly scrambled away on her hands and knees. She didn't stop crawling until the wall was at her back. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't forget the feel of the mashed insides squishing through her fingers. Intestines were never meant to be touched by bare hands.

She looked down and realized that she was covered in blood. A piece of her hair fell against her cheek and she noticed that it wasn't its normal gold color; instead it was streaked with bright red. '_From his hands.'_ She glanced up when she heard footsteps, and saw that Trunks was holding a bloody hand down to her as if to help her to her feet. Usagi choked back a sob and huddled into a tight ball. She just wanted to disappear.

Alan winced in sympathy. This was not good. The girl didn't need to associate emotional trauma with Trunks' affections. The teen was determined to claim her, despite her wishes. Alan glanced at the corpse-strewn warehouse and saw the results of Trunks' determination. '_What will he do if she can't get over this and refuses him? What monster will she unleash onto the world?'_ He vowed that he would not let that happen – he would help Trunks win her if it was the last thing he did.

"_Get away. _Oh god." She finally started crying, but with each gasping breath she was assaulted by the foul stench of death. "_Don't touch me! _I'm going to be sick." She was in shock and didn't realize that she was fluctuating between the two languages.

The beast seemed startled and confused by her manner. Sensing her distress, he tried to grab her and pull her close to him so that he might calm her. Instead she scrambled away.

"I don't want you!" she shouted at him, forgetting that he didn't understand a word she was saying. "_I want my Trunks. I want –"_ A sob choked her mid sentence. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. "_Just stay away!" _She rushed from the room, blinded by her tears, and made it as far as the second hallway before collapsing in a corner and vomiting against the wall. The sweat and blood that covered her body gelled in the air conditioning and caused her to shiver.

She didn't know how much time passed, but her discomfort finally mobilized her. Usagi crawled away from her mess and huddled against the wall alone and defeated. Her mind was blessedly numb. When her heart finally calmed, she heard a faint scratching followed by a curse. At first she ignored it, thinking it must be the imaginings of her abused mind. Then she heard another curse and couldn't brush it aside as her overactive imagination.

Usagi lifted her head and gazed down the hallway. Nothing. She closed her eyes and sent her senses outward, searching for a ki signature. The last of the soldiers were finally disembarking from the ship leaving the tanker deserted except for one lone ki that was inside a room off one of the branching hallways. She desperately needed a distraction right now. Her thoughts were too dark and they threatened to consume her.

Slowly, cursing her curiosity three ways from Sunday, Usagi staggered to her feet. Keeping her arms wrapped around her stomach for support, leaning heavily against the wall, she inched down the hallway towards the ki. If she encountered a body of any sort even remotely close, then she was hightailing it off the ship for good. Thankfully, all the bodies seemed to be confined to that one warehouse. She peaked around the corner of the room and spotted a flash of bright red hair.

The room was a bedroom in the most basic sense of the word, being that there was a bed in a room. There was no other furniture and no decorations of any sort that personalized the space. The sheets on the bed were soiled and reeked of body odor and worse. There was a girl, about her age, dressed in a ragged old shirt, tugging at something along her wrist and cursing.

"Do you need help?"

The red-haired girl jumped, clearly startled, and turned to confront her. Then she screamed.

Usagi was sad. She knew that she must look like a character straight out of a gory horror film. She was covered in blood and probably looked pale from being sick. "I'm not going to hurt you." She felt like she needed to explain. "I heard you struggling and thought I might help. Everyone else fled. Why haven't you?"

The girl stood gaping at her for a long moment. Finally, she seemed to find her voice. "I would have. I heard the guns and I wanted te run, but…" She moved out of the way and motioned towards the handcuffs chaining her to the bed. "Now I'm goin' te die because I can't get free and ev'ryone's dead. I'm gonna starve here. No one is lookin' fer me. No one." She tugged at her wrist again, bruising it horribly, trying to yank her hand through the small opening.

Usagi started forward, but quickly stopped when the girl scrambled away. "I'm sorry. I thought I could help."

The girl flung her red hair over her shoulder and looked her over carefully. "Why're ye all bluidy?"

Usagi paled. "Outside there are…bodies," she choked on the word. "I fell and tripped over them and…" she couldn't continue. Not without reliving everything and her mind couldn't take that. No, she wanted to help this girl and get out of there.

The girl seemed to accept her explanation. "Alright. Ye promise ye aren't goin' te hurt me?"

Usagi's smile was tremulous. "Trust me. I can't even hurt a fly right now."

"Then how the hell ye supposed te help me?" They shared a small smile. Usagi slowly came forward and studied the handcuffs. One side was wrapped firmly around the steel bed, while the other fit snuggly around the girl's wrist. First they both tugged, thinking their combined strength could pry open the far end. No such luck. They both collapsed back, panting from their efforts.

"It's no use! I'm well and truly stuck." The girl pushed up her bangs. "Ye should just go and save yerself. The guys with guns might come back and catch ye too."

Usagi just shook her head. She wasn't about to abandon her new friend. Then, she blinked. "I have an idea!" Usagi forgot about her queasy stomach and her headache as she searched the room for any salvageable materials. There wasn't much to chose from, and she wasn't about to leave her friend alone to hunt for anything better. Quickly, she snatched the bed sheets and started tearing them into long strips. The material was thin enough that it could slip through the cuffs, and still provide some barrier between the girl's hand and the metal. When everything was ready, Usagi kneeled next to the girl and placed her hands on the metal links.

"I'm about to do something that you're not going to understand."

The girl was offended. "I'm not stupid ye know. Just explain it to me."

Usagi took the girl at her word. "Basically, I'm going to melt the cuffs off."

The girl didn't believe her. She gave her a 'yeah right' expression, but Usagi continued to explain. "Getting you out of here is what's most important. I'm not going to melt off the cuff around your wrist; I'd burn you and it would hurt. So I'm going to melt off the cuff around the bed frame. Once we're off this ship, we can find a way to open the lock." Before she began she turned to the girl. "Will you promise me that you won't tell anyone about this? No one knows and I could get in trouble for showing you."

The red head looked at her as if she had a few screws loose. "Yeah, sure."

Usagi just shrugged, closed her eyes and concentrated on her lessons dealing with fire. She didn't need anything huge or dramatic – no fireballs or flames, just a steady heat that was hot enough to melt metal. Heat without fire was harder to conjure since it had no physical shape. It was more difficult for her mind to concentrate on something that was naked to the human eye. Slowly, the metal links beneath her hands began to warm.

The girl felt the heat and gasped, but then grew quiet so she wouldn't distract her rescuer.

Usagi felt the metal start to bend and pull, like taffy, until it was so thin that it slipped around the warped metal bed frame and pooled along the floor. Sweat dripped in her eyes, as she sat back on her heels and gasped for breath. "Don't touch it!" She warned unnecessarily.

"How did you -? That was awesome!" The girl quickly scrambled to her feet and danced around the room.

Usagi smiled at her excitement. It was nice to know that her gifts were good for something. "Now is no time for questions. We need to get out of here, but I don't remember how to get back to the deck."

"Oh, don't ye be worryin'. I know the way! They take us girls up on deck ev'ry once in a while, to get fresh air and such. I memorized the way just in case I ever got the chance te escape." She offered Usagi a hand up. "Come on, it's this way."

They were racing through the hallways, when the red-haired girl suddenly turned to her. "What's yer name anyway?"

Usagi blinked. She must really be in shock to be forgetting her manners. The day had been beyond real. "I'm Son Usagi. It's nice to meet you."

The girl flashed a sassy grin. "Yeah, it's nice te meet ye too. My friends call me Molly."

Usagi smiled. "Molly is a nice name."

After a few quick turns and only having to double back one time, they were topside. Usagi glanced around in dread, half expecting Trunks to pop up and growl at her. He was nowhere in sight. '_Thank god.'_ She glanced over at her new friend. "Do you need help getting the cuffs off? I think my guardian has a bolt cutter or something that might work."

Molly glanced down at her wrist as if she'd forgotten. "Oh, this thing? My cousin Twitch will have this off in three flicks of a rat's tail. He's good with locks, ya know?" The girl turned. "God, ye're short."

Usagi blushed at her blunt comment and didn't know what to say.

"You saved my life back there, you know."

Usagi shrugged it off. "It's nothing. Anyone would have done the same."

Molly shook her head. "But they didn't; you did. If ye ever need _anything_, a favor, a friendly shoulder, anything at all, ye let me know. I owe you big time. If you go down to Rat Square on the North side of town, just ask around and you'll find me." The girl leaned forward and yanked Usagi into a bone-cracking hug. "I've got to go; my Uncle has likely made hisself sick with worry." Just that quickly she was gone.

Usagi rubbed her aching shoulder and fought back a grin. That girl had quite a grip on her. "Bye, Molly." For some reason her spirits had lifted. It had been an awful day, but at least she had a new friend to show for it.

Resolutely, she turned towards home. It would be a long walk to get there, but she was definitely in no hurry. She touched her lips with trembling fingers. Things were starting to get complicated.

* * *

AN: Dun dun DUN! A lot of things happened in this chapter. Tell me what you think about them all! I'm dying to know. Review! Yes, if you do the math they're both 15 now - Trunks being an older 15 of course. I'd also like to remind people that 15 yrs old = 10th grade high school. Personally, I went to a public high school and know that guys were definitely starting to get dirty thoughts. Teachers were always walking around, breaking up the lip-locked couples trying to suck each other's tonsiles. Lol. Also keep in mind that this is the first time they kissed (that they were both awake for) and 15 isn't too far off base for that step. After reading 31 chapters, everyone should know that I don't move things along too quickly. Ha! :)

Devafiend - I'm glad you like the emotions and the problems :); SummerThunder - Diamond and Usa are definitely going to meet, I'm just setting the stage, I'm glad I can keep you guessing, Usagi does realize she influences him - she's just in denial and wants to think its all in a very platonic way, hopefully you saw her mindset shift a little in this chapter; erikatufts - as always, I look forward to your reviews!; MichiUsa - thanks for sticking with this story for so long! Your review made me laugh; Sei - you're preeching to the choir :) Just wait. Thanks everyone for your lovely reviews.

I'm very proud of this chapter! It covered a lot of ground and quite a few differing points of view. I've had parts of this chapter written for some time, but this was the right place to incorporate them all together in a cohesive setting. I was going for suspense, gore, and a little humor. Let me know how I did. This is definitely one of my longer chapters - 27 pages! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.


	33. Aftermath

**Chapter 32**

It didn't take long for the glow from making a new friend to begin to fade and disturbing images to take its place. The images kept playing in her head over and over like a gory screensaver; the minute her brain idled BAM broken bodies mangled beyond recognition, BAM Trunks reaching for her with a bloody hand, BAM her scrambling through a red, sticky pool of blood. Her mind kept frantically grabbing for something else, anything else that could shift her focus. She tried to concentrate on how rough the bark felt against her back and how cool the evening was getting now that the sun had finally set. Nothing was helping. All she kept seeing were the black pits of eyes that vibrated with intense emotions. '_And that kiss…'_

Usagi huddled down against the wind, absently noting that the tree which seemed so massive in her youth was now barely big enough to shield her from a passing breeze. Everything appeared so much more monumental to the young. It had been years since she had last set foot on her elementary school grounds. Outside of a few new signs and colorful posters, it looked exactly the same. After leaving the dockside, she had blindly wandered until the strange looks and muffled gasps finally filtered through the fog of her shock and made her realize that she was covered in blood and hardly fit to be stumbling through the dinner crowd. By some miracle, no one had thought to call the cops. She wanted to simply find a quiet place where she could take to the air and fly home. Her elementary school wasn't far and, since it was afterhours, it would be deserted. Instead of heading home, however, she hunkered down against the same tree she and Trunks had claimed during recess those many years ago. Years when the only violence she knew was centered in her home life. Now, it seemed like violence had found her again.

'_How can I see him again without imagining his face painted with the blood of his victims?'_ She knew that part of her horror was due to her involvement. '_It was my fault.'_ Trunks had lost control and went on a rampage, but those last two men's particularly gory deaths were on her conscious. If she hadn't been there as a catalyst for Trunks' rage, then he would have shrugged off the bullets and the men would have probably lived or at least died with more dignity. Instead they had been torn to pieces and scattered across the floor like bloody breadcrumbs.

This wasn't the first time she had seen Trunks so riled. He had taken equally harsh revenge against Nappa, but she knew that situation had been out of her control. At the time, she couldn't do anything about Nappa's bullying or Trunks' temper. Today, he had calmed down, had shifted his focus from blind rage to her, and she thought that she had everything under control. Then the two men threatened her and Trunks' grip on sanity slipped. Usagi kept thinking that if she had done something different or said something else then the two men would have been spared. Guilt kept her horror alive, very vivid, and foremost in her mind. The images wouldn't leave her alone!

On some level, she was almost grateful for the guilt; it kept her from thinking about the kiss. Everything had changed. Now she didn't know what to think. Her emotions were a jumbled mess that felt like a knotted wad of string. Trying to make sense of it all, she would follow one emotion until it tangled with another and then another until finally she was left confused and frustrated. Guilt fed into confusion which led to anger. She was angry with Trunks for changing things. There was more to this whole situation that he wasn't telling her.

Usagi blinked back tears. Today was supposed to be wonderful! Trunks had left her that flower which completely made her day. She had planned the rest of their evening, starting with tackling him in a hug as soon as he walked through the door. Now, everything was different.

'_I can't go home. I can't do it.'_ She was too upset. She needed time to come to terms with her feelings. Time that she knew Trunks wouldn't give her. He was probably already there, waiting for her.

Usagi rummaged through her pockets, uncaring of the blood caked on her hands, and pulled out her slim phone. Her clothes were ruined beyond repair, but at least her phone had survived - that was always a challenge with Saiyajins. Goten would accidentally forget his in his pocket, go spar, and slam hard against something; then when he wanted to make a call all he would find would be busted plastic and twisted metal. Bulma was currently working on cover cases that would be "Saiyajin proof". Goten. She decided to call her younger brother; he would have some idea on how to help. When she scrolled down, she looked at the Gs in her contacts and saw Goku above Goten's name. Briefly she considered returning to the cottage, but just as quickly she dismissed the idea. Chichi was there. Above Goku's name, Usagi froze. Gohan.

'_Gohan.'_

Gohan was an assistant professor at Satan City University, so he had a modest apartment on the other side of town in the University area. Usagi had only been there once a long time ago when he first moved in and had a housewarming party. The semester had started, so he would be beyond busy, but maybe...Maybe her older brother would help. She chewed on her lip and agonized. Did she really want to bring him into the middle of this situation? Before she lost her nerve, she placed the call and anxiously counted the rings.

"Usagi?" his voice was hesitant and held no small amount of worry. They didn't call each other that often, so he had immediately jumped to the conclusion that something was wrong. The fact that he was right nearly sent her into tears.

"Usagi?" he repeated again when she didn't answer.

"I -" she painfully swallowed back the lump in her throat and breathed past her tears. "Hi." She couldn't just blurt out her problems. Surely they could have a normal conversation first.

"Are you okay?"

Apparently not. "Y-Yeah?" her response was far from reassuring. She absently picked at the blood crusting in her hair and couldn't find a coherent thought. Where to begin? "Trunks and I, we -" She hesitated as her mind tried to finish the sentence. '_Yelled at each other? Kissed?'_

"You argued?" he guessed. "Did he hurt you?" the last question came out more as a growl. There was definitely no love lost between the two of them.

"Kind of?" she didn't know how to answer that. Physically? No, he just scared her with his anger and his attentions. Emotionally? She didn't want to think about it yet. She wasn't ready.

"Where are you? I'll come pick you up." She could tell from the tone of his voice that he had already put on his shoes and was heading out the door.

Usagi glanced around at her surroundings and thought it was ironic that he was asking her that while she was here of all places. Years ago, he didn't care enough about her to remember to pick her up from elementary school. Her mother had beaten her because of it. Now, he was dropping whatever plans he had and rushing to her side. No hesitation. No questions. Just unfailing support. Only when a tear dripped down her chin and splashed against her clinched fist did she realize that she was crying.

Instead of keening helplessly over the phone, she struggled to keep her voice even. "My elementary school."

He stopped breathing as he remembered as well. The past was always between them. Maybe that's why they weren't as close. Neither of them could stand the memories. "I'll be there soon."

On the other side of the city, she felt his ki flare as he took to the air.

Usagi was just slipping her phone back into her pocket when she realized that seeing her covered in other people's blood would hardly reassure her brother. Vaguely, she recalled there being a water fountain on the far side of the swings. Quickly, she tore off the untarnished hem of her shirt, soaked it in the lukewarm fountain water, and scrubbed her face and hands clean. There was nothing she could do about her clothes. She got distracted with picking out the stubborn red flecks under her fingernails and didn't sense him land behind her.

"Oh Kami."

She jerked around, startled. "I'm okay! It's not mine." Her words were slurred together and partially unintelligible because she was in such a rush to reassure him.

"What the hell happened?"

She could only shake her head. "Can…Can I stay with you for a little while?"

* * *

'_Where the hell is she?'_ Trunks glared at the clock as if it were responsible for Usagi's absence. He expected her home hours ago. Dinner had come and gone and still there was no sign of her. His anger masked his growing worry. What if something had happened to her? Today she had been exposed to a large number of the city's unsavory characters, and they now knew her importance to him. He had enemies. What if one of the Yakuza took it upon themselves to get revenge for their fallen comrades? What if they abducted her from the street as she was heading home? He thought about Alan's story and shuddered. Would he find her body a week later? It was because of him that she was out there wandering around unprotected and vulnerable.

His memories of the evening were obscured by the fog of his rage. In the last clear image he had of her, she was cringing away from him, crying, scared, begging him to go away and leave her alone. After his month in solitude cultivating his control, he thought it was impossible to be consumed with his bestial mentality again. Apparently he was wrong. Now he didn't know what he would say when he saw her next. '_Sorry I slaughtered those people in front of you? Yeah, that will go over as smooth as sandpaper,'_ he mentally berated himself. He didn't regret the killing, but he did regret that she had to see it; she was too sensitive to violence.

The only saving grace about the whole situation was that kiss. Trunks smirked. It had been hot and raw and everything he wanted it to be. She definitely kissed him back too, before she panicked. It made this all worth it, knowing that she wanted him too. His eyes glazed over as he relived the entire moment in minute detail. She had fit him perfectly, like she was made specifically for him. There was no way he would allow them to go back to a platonic friendship, not after that; he didn't care what Alan said. She was his. That fact alone was almost motivation enough to hunt her down and bring her home; then he remembered her traumatized expression and reconsidered.

"Glaring at the clock and sitting here in the dark isn't going to bring her home," his mother's voice jerked him from his musings. He winced when she flipped on a light and temporarily blinded him.

"You know?"

Bulma studied his tense expression, certain that she hadn't heard even a tenth of the real story. "I know that she called me a little while ago and let me know that she needed some time away. Something about you two having a fight?"

Trunks knew that she was fishing for more information but wasn't in the mood to oblige. "Where is she?"

"What did you argue about?"

Trunks clenched his teeth. "Nothing."

Somehow, she didn't believe him. This went beyond teenage angst and melodrama. Bulma stared at her only son and noted the genuine worry he was trying to hide. She had birthed him, raised him, and loved him; so she read his every expression, knew his every mood. He was definitely worried and angry. It seemed like he was always angry. '_What's changing you?' _Instead of asking and upsetting him further, she sacrificed her curiosity for his peace of mind. "She's at Gohan's."

"Gohan's?" Trunks sneered with distaste. Of all the places he expected her to be, that hadn't even registered as a possibility. He closed his eyes and narrowed his senses to the far side of the city. Usagi's ki was always so hard to read because it blended too well with the human population. '_There!'_ If he concentrated hard enough, he could pick up a faint echo of her ki signature. Relief leveled his thoughts, leaving room for only one thought, 'S_he's safe.' _

Anger quickly followed.

Bulma watched the anger return and sighed. When Vegeta first came to Earth many years ago, he had been angry all the time too. Like father like son. Bulma could understand Vegeta's icy demeanor and rage-filled thoughts - he had a traumatizing childhood to the extreme. Her son, however, led a privileged life, so why wasn't he happy?

"I thought you would be happy. She'll be safe there. Gohan will take care of her."

Trunks scoffed. "Like he took care of her before?"

"When are you going to let that go? He was young and stupid. Everyone makes mistakes. Usagi has already forgiven him, so why can't you?"

Trunks actually growled. For a second Bulma was worried there would be a repeat of the Beast in the Kitchen incident, but his eyes were still blue, so he was still in control. "He should be grateful he's her brother or I would do more than just be angry with him. No one gets a second chance after hurting her."

Bulma waited a beat. "What about what you did today? Didn't you hurt her?" She was fishing again. Their argument had to be Trunks' doing because Usagi was almost incapable of standing up for herself; she let Trunks walk all over her. On the other hand, Trunks was moody, aggressive, and demanding; prime characteristics of an instigator. Bulma was proud of Usagi for taking a stand and staying away. It was a step towards independence, but only a small, passive-aggressive step. If Usagi really wanted to make a stand, then she would have come home and had it out with Trunks in person.

"That's different."

"Why?"

Trunks glared at his mother's stubbornness. "It just is. I'm done with this conversation."

Bulma rolled her eyes, like father like son. The second a conversation wasn't going their way, they would immediately dismiss it as trivial and walk away. It was probably a royal trait. '_Yeah, a royal pain in the ass.'_ Leaning her shoulder against the wall, she watched dispassionately as he searched for his phone. If she wanted to know what was going on, she would have to stick around and try to guess from only hearing half of the conversation. Some small part of her was going to relish the sound of her son apologizing - something he rarely did.

Trunks half-heatedly tried Usagi's number first. It went straight to an automated voicemail, indicating that it was turned off or the power died. She was absent-minded enough to forget to charge it, but he was betting she had deliberately shut it down to avoid him. With gritted teeth he found Gohan's name in his contacts. Impatiently, he started pacing around the couch, ignored his eavesdropping mother, and waited for the current thorn in his side to answer his damn phone.

"Trunks," Trunks' eyes narrowed with suspicion at Gohan's emphasized pronunciation of his name, as if he were signaling someone else in the room. "To what do I owe this honor?"

"Cut the crap, Gohan. You know why I'm calling. She's standing right there, isn't she? Don't bother lying." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mother wince at his aggressive tone. He could care less what she thought of him. His abrasiveness was catching because Gohan didn't waste any more effort on polite trivialities.

"I don't like that you've upset her." Trunks appreciated his bluntness, but didn't really care what Gohan thought about the situation. Everything was between him and Usagi. "I never thought I'd have to worry about how you treat her. Not you."

Now Trunks was getting impatient. He made it a policy to talk to Gohan as little as possible. "I don't give a shit about how you feel. Give – Usa – the phone."

"You need to watch your tone." It made him feel good to know that he was finally getting under Gohan's skin. "I'm not about to put her on just so you can yell at her. She doesn't need to be more upset."

Trunks detected a note of panic underlying his voice. Apparently seeing his sister hurt was beyond Gohan's capabilities. '_It probably brings back too many memories,'_ he realized, with a quick flash of intuition. '_Good. Let him suffer.'_

It did bother him that he wasn't there for Usagi when she obviously needed him. She needed care and attention that her brother wouldn't know to how to give. Goten would have been a better choice for her. Not for the first time, he regretted distancing himself from his best friend, because he couldn't just pick up the phone and order Goten to her side, not without a lot of resistance and too many questions.

"Going to be kind of hard for me to fix this when you won't let me talk to her to apologize."

Silence. Then, sheepishly, "Oh. Right."

Trunks rolled his eyes. The clueless comments like that always reminded him how Gohan and Goten were more alike than he cared to admit.

Logic wasn't enough to stifle the protective older brother routine Gohan was trying out for the first time. "That's all you plan to do? Apologize?"

Trunks could already feel his temper slipping. No one was allowed to question him, and he hardly owed Gohan, of all people, an explanation. "I'm done talking with you. Pass Usagi the phone."

He heard a muffling, as if Gohan held the phone against his shirt in a bid to cover the speaker – apparently the genius professor didn't know how to work the 'mute' button on the phone. Trunks' enhanced sensed allowed him to hear the conversation clearly.

"-I can't. I'm not ready to talk to him yet. Not right now." Trunks felt his stomach clench at her tone. He would have to fast talk like a politician to get back into her good graces.

"I know, sweetie, but wouldn't it be better to get this out of the way so you'll stop stressing about it? If you don't talk to him, he's bound to fly over here and harass you more directly."

They went back and forth a few times, giving him time to find a quiet place, away from his mother, before Trunks heard her finally concede. "Okay."

He held his breath as the phone was transferred, and suddenly he knew that she was listening. "Hey," his voice was steady; emphasizing that he wasn't crazy with bloodlust any longer.

She sounded tired. "What do you want Trunks?"

That was easy. "I want you to come home."

"No." She didn't hesitate even for a second. "If that's why you called then I'm hanging up now."

"I'm not done yet!" he didn't mean to shout at her, but after worrying and then suffering through a conversation with her brother, he would be damned if she hung up on him.

"What?" She sighed. "Just say what you need to say so that I can get off the phone."

That wasn't good. Trunks struggled to beat down his temper. He couldn't afford to drive her further away. "I want to know why you're so upset."

She literally sputtered. "I can't believe you have to ask!" With her brother in the room, watching her anxiously, she could hardly blurt out what she wanted to say - _'Because of that life-altering kiss, you moron!'_ Instead, her guilt drove her to bring up the fallen men. "You slaughtered those two men! Butchered them!"

"I'm sorry you had to see that." He gritted out an apology, "I know you hate violence. If I had been in my right mind, then I would have made sure you were out of the room."

"That's it? You're just sorry I had to see it? I didn't just see it, Trunks! I was practically bathing in their blood! You were little more than an animal." He flinched and refused to admit how much her barb cut through him. Sometimes he felt like an animal. "I also notice that you're not sorry you killed them."

That pissed him off. "Why would you expect anything less? You remember what happened to that stupid prince on Vegeta-sei. You saw what I did to Nappa. I'd do the same to anyone who threatens your life. Don't try to hold that against me. Don't act surprised either. You know I'd cross that line for you. I've done it before and I'll do it again. As far as I'm concerned, let the world know they have to go through me to get to you."

Usagi swallowed pasted the lump in her throat. How could she stay mad at him for that? He risked his life for hers, and just swore to do it again.

"You _lied_ to me."

Trunks swore. There wasn't an ounce of forgiveness in her voice, only pain. '_Here it comes_.'

"No cops were called when everything got out of hand, when _you_ got out of hand. I didn't see one uniform in the whole group! It looked like a bunch of street thugs having some kind of gang war. What are you really up to because it's obviously not a legitimate security agency!"

'_Now the fast talking.'_ "My company does do security work, but we hold classified government contracts." It wasn't a lie, exactly. "Those 'thugs' as you call them, are a little rough around the edges, I'll admit, but they're in training just like me. They haven't had the time to get polished like my err... more veteran colleagues."

Usagi frowned. "So, you're something like a mercenary for the government? They hire your company to 'secure' things?" she tested her understanding.

"I can't talk about it."

"Trunks!"

"I mean it. The less you know the better. All I can say is that we hold classified contracts with the government." Again, all true thanks to Diamond's connections and the government's ineptitude. "So, don't keep asking."

"I don't believe this. I thought Rent-a-cop, you thought Urban Rambo!"

Trunks became indignant. "I'm not a mind reader! I didn't know what you were thinking. You can hardly blame me for your incorrect assumptions!"

Usagi frowned. He had a point. Why did he always make her feel like she's in the wrong? "And those men at the warehouse? They are all Urban Rambos too? They weren't thugs?"

"Many of them were dressed for undercover work. We can hardly walk in and announce ourselves. We do a lot of street surveillance, so it helps to blend."

Usagi didn't know what to think of this. Maybe he was telling the truth. She was just too exhausted and mentally drained to give it real thought. It unnerved her to think that he was putting himself on the front lines everyday and she hadn't known about it. He didn't bother telling her; he just let her think it was some easy office security job. Then she remembered that this was Trunks and he never volunteered for anything easy. She should have known better. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to worry."

Usagi sighed and rubbed her aching temples. "You lied about something else." Her voice was quiet, almost inaudible.

Trunks held his breath. She was talking about the kiss.

"You promised things between us wouldn't change."

"No, Usa, _you_ promised that. That was your rule, not mine. I didn't agree. I never planned to agree."

"B-But -" she sputtered.

"Truth, Usa. We were always meant to be more than friends. You were destined for me."

"Says who?" Usagi didn't hear his answer, if he even gave one. She thought back to her latest trip to Vegeta-sei. King Vegeta and Raseri's Seer knew and believed it too.

She remembered the Seer's words. _"You are the goddess Taresa reborn. Your mate, the Great Raseri, would also be reborn to see to your protection. He would not allow you to walk the mortal realm alone…_ _A sentient beast of power? It is his godhood exerting itself. According to legend, this rage can be intense, but the power of Taresa and the moon calms him. This is your purpose – to provide balance…_ _Do not fear this power; it will never harm you. He is your mate, Taresa. The sooner you accept this, the easier it will be for you."_

'_It can't be.'_ "Nothing is set in stone. We can fight this!"

Trunks growled. "I don't want to fight it." That was probably the only time in his life he'd ever uttered those words. "I'll give you time, but you _will_ accept this."

Usagi gaped at the phone in shock, the soft _click _echoed ominously in her ears. After issuing his latest command, he hung up on her.

* * *

AN: Soooo...Review and tell me what you think! Usagi can't be in denial anymore because Trunks confessed his intentions. How are the Black Moon going to handle Trunks' breakdown? Is Usagi going to forgive him? What do you think about Trunks tiptoeing around the truth? How is Usagi going to handle this latest trauma? Were you surprised by Gohan's reentrance? I know it seems short, but I've got a lot more coming and faster, I promis! The next chapter is pretty much planned out, I just have to sit down and write it. Reviews motivate me!

Artemesia-Hime - I think I talked about it in the _way_ earlier chapters of this story about how Usagi is "like a blind person" with her Saiyajin heritage. She's kind of fragile and not nearly as strong as the men, so that's why she couldn't just pull the chain. I forgot the chapter's name, but its the one with the coach.

Cosmic-lover - I chuckle when I read your blow-by-blow style reviews. It's kind of cool 'cause I get to know how you react and when as compared to the normal review style which is more like a summarized feeling at the end. Thanks for spending the time to write such lengthy reviews too! You're awesome!

SummerThunder - great questions. All I can say is wait and see.

Eloyse - I also have a connection with Alexandrite, but there are two reasons I chose that particular stone for Trunks. I'll explain in due time.

Crystal Moon Magic - Thanks for your support!

MichiUsa - I was thinking the same thing as far as the WWIII. :) You'll just have to wait and see about Diamond. I will say, I have a special meeting between them already planned.

Thank you everyone else for you lovely reviews! I enjoyed reading each and every one of them. They make my day and they're one of the reasons I keep typing on.


	34. Think About It

**Chapter 33**

He called Usagi every night and she wouldn't even pick up the phone to talk to him. After not seeing or speaking with her in two days, Trunks was not in the mood for this little heart-to-heart with his boss. His attention started to wander as soon as he realized this was going to be a lecture. As if he hadn't heard enough of _those_ in his life. Ironically, they all sounded the same after a while. "Irresponsible…blah, blah … set a better example … yadda, yadda …disappointed…"

Diamond was currently leaning with his hands planted on his obscenely large mahogany desk, reaming him a new one. Trunks imagined many people would have been cowering in fear after displeasing the boss, but today he just couldn't bring himself to care. Sapphire, like a good second in command, was sitting quietly and observing. It was just the three of them for this little tête-à-tête. Finally, Trunks had enough of the rant and decided to go on the offensive. He'd do what he always did – brazed his way through the grilling.

"Failure, sir? How so?"

"You killed your superior officer! How many times do I have to say it? Colonel Hemitite is dead, and I'm to understand you're the one I have to thank for putting him 6 feet under!"

Trunks shrugged coolly. "I warned you that he shouldn't get in my way. When he decided to cross that line, I was there to make sure he paid the consequences. I'm surprised that you're so upset." He injected his tone with the natural superiority that only royalty seemed to possess. "He didn't follow orders. Putting down renegade soldiers is Black Moon policy, is it not?"

Sapphire hid his grin by taking a sip from his wine. He looked at his older brother, curious to see how he would answer. This meeting was getting more interesting by the second.

Diamond gritted his teeth and glared at the cool-headed teen who seemed bored with this meeting. He was used to people pissing their pants at this point. "Don't quote rhetoric to me!"

Trunks tried to look humble but failed. "Simply trying to clarify, sir."

Diamond took a deep breath in an effort to calm his rising blood pressure. "Regardless, it wasn't your place to discipline him. That is a Precious' right."

Trunks nodded, looking contrite. "Understood." He climbed to his feet. "Will that be all?"

"Not even close. I'll dismiss you when _I'm_ ready."

Trunks shrugged and took his seat again.

"Why do you think this mission was a success? Nothing went to plan. Our forces were ambushed when they finally infiltrated the tanker. Surprise was supposed to be on our side, but somehow they were alerted."

"Very true, however, there were only a dozen casualties, including the Colonel. Many more Yakuza died during the course of the mission. They fled and we collected the guns, destroyed their supply of drugs, and torched the barge." '_After I finally came to,'_ Trunks mentally added. "We set out to cripple the Yakuza financially – we did that. It will take some time for them to recoup their losses and to recruit more soldiers."

Diamond locked gazes with him for a long moment as he absorbed the younger man's words. "I've spoken with many of the trainees who were with you in the field on the front lines. They said you broke ranks and lost control. That's hardly who I want in command."

Trunk conceded his point. "I lost my temper. It doesn't happen often." He tried not to wince at that whopper of a lie.

Sapphire quickly interceded. "I'm sure he is working on overcoming this flaw. He wouldn't be the first in our ranks with anger issues. Remember, brother, how Rubeus was when he was younger?"

Diamond gradually relaxed and chuckled. "He was wild." The Black Moon boss slowly sat and reached for his wine before returning his attention to business at hand. "These same soldiers report that there was a girl, a civilian on scene."

Trunks wiped all expression from his face and tried not to tense. He did not want Usagi to come to their attention, especially not now when things weren't settled between them.

"Who is she?"

Trunks just stared ahead and remained quiet.

Diamond's smooth voice filled the silence. "The soldiers were all quite taken with her. Many claimed she alone salvaged the mission. Some even said she saved their lives that day. A few sentimental fools likened her to an Angel of Mercy. I would like to meet this _angel _and thank her personally. So, I'll ask again. Who is she?"

Trunks didn't move or utter a single word, much to Diamond's frustration. The boss was not used to such insolence. It was a fact of nature that if he asked a question, someone always rushed to answer. "Until I decide how to respond to this debacle of a mission, you won't be running any more raids. Until you loosen your tongue and show proper respect, you will be put on collection duty. Dismissed."

The brothers waited until they heard the elevator door close, when they were truly alone, before they broke their silence. "I think he shows spirit," Sapphire rushed to declare his opinion.

Diamond raised his hand for silence. "I don't want to hear it. He saved your life, so of course you're biased. He's a wild card. I don't want someone who won't come to heel in a position of power."

Sapphire changed his approach when he heard the resolve in his brother's voice. "I think it's too late for that, brother. If the accounts we've been hearing are true, then he's already shown his own power. His influence over the trainees is significant. Before they respected him, now they fear him. If his commands contradict ours, then there may be dissention within our ranks."

Diamond eyes flattened. "Simply fixed. I'll just have him killed. No one is going to take even a tiny part of my legacy."

"And have the men think we acted out of fear? That would be an even greater risk to our reputation." Sapphire waited a beat. "I don't think we can afford to do anything but promote him."

Diamond leaned back in his chair and frowned. "You would reward him after that disaster? That would only set a bad example for our other lieutenants."

Sapphire chuckled drily. "His command style was unorthodox, but the mission could hardly be labeled a failure. If we promote him, his reputation will only add to our prestige. Our organization is extensive enough, powerful enough to handle one wily general; but if you are so concerned, place him directly under your command. You'll be able to align his loyalties with yours; you can groom him in whatever image you see fit. You forget that he's young and impressionable, hardly someone that should worry you."

Diamond mulled over his brother's words as he watched the light change his blood-colored wine to a bright ruby red. He stared into the burgundy liquid as if it held the answers to the mysteries of the ages. "Perhaps," he finally conceded. "So far he has definitely exceeded my expectations. Perhaps we can manipulate him and his formidable temper to better the interests of the Black Moon."

He mentally reviewed the meeting. "Find out who this girl is; she may be a threat if she influences him away from us." He remembered how stubbornly silent Trunks became when he mentioned her. "I just want information for now, but eventually, if she fits the type, she might be _persuaded_ to join our cause. If this Xand turns out to be as valuable an ally as you hope, it would be prudent to have people who are close to him, be indebted to us."

Sapphire nodded. "Wise, brother. I'll see to it right away."

Diamond finished his glass and immediately filled it again. "Inform the Precious Alexandrite, General Xand, he has been promoted. Have his medallion commissioned and present it to him yourself. I don't think I can stand looking at him just yet." A medallion of their namesake was a symbol of their rank.

Sapphire left his brother to his thoughts and his drink and held his grin until the elevator doors closed behind him.

* * *

The world was dark as Usagi blindly groped around for a light. She searched the walls until finally her fingers caught the switch. The dim light revealed the basement that terrified her childhood, and its walls were dripping with blood. She looked down. Her hands and clothes were covered in blood; she could feel the dull ache of bruises decorating her body. '_Not again._' Muted footsteps thudded against the stairs. When Usagi turned with dread, the scene changed.

She was now standing on a balcony of the palace she'd seen once before in a vision, dressed in the long flowing gown of her transformation. An endless stream of tears flooded her cheeks as she watched her kingdom fall into ruin. People were fighting and dying, shouting her name with their last breath. Usagi shut her eyes and tried to block out the screams. '_My people.'_

When she looked again, the crumbled white world had given way to a burning red one. There were legions of soldiers hovering, ready, and willing to defend their planet until the end. '_Vegeta-sei.' _Usagi searched in vain for the unique haircut of her grandfather, but couldn't find him amid the sea of grim-faced Saiyajin warriors. There was a blinding flash of white, and then…nothing. Usagi screamed, but there was no one left to hear. Cosmic dust was all that remained of the once feared Saiyajin army.

Trunks was suddenly looming over her, reaching for her with bloody hands and fierce black eyes. Usagi jerked back and jerked awake.

"Usagi!" Gohan was shaking her. "Are you okay? I heard you scream."

She gulped down air and struggled to calm her thundering heart. In a daze, she reached up and brushed away the cold sweat and tears from her face. '_Just a nightmare._' It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out she was feeling like her life was out of her control and crumbling around her. '_The destruction of Vegeta-sei ... I wonder if it really happened like that.' _Then she realized that Gohan was talking to her and trying to get her attention.

"What? I-I'm fine, Gohan. It was nothing."

Gohan just looked at her but didn't point out the obvious. She was stressed enough without being plagued by nightmares. He wasn't about to add to her burdens by pestering her. Still, it would be nice if she trusted him enough to explain. He knew not to hold his breath because the only person she trusted implicitly was Trunks. Trunks, the guy who left her covered in blood and tears wandering alone at night, the guy who was the cause of her nightmares, the guy who hung up on her when he was supposed to be apologizing. Gohan got furious just thinking about him. '_Trunks has a lot to answer for this time._' Not wanting her to become even more distressed, he quickly pushed away his anger.

Embarrassed by his concern, Usagi attempted to shift his attention by making a show of sniffing the air. "Is that bacon?"

Her older brother nodded. "Yeah. I have to go to work this morning, but I wanted to start our day off on the right foot with a hardy breakfast. So, show a leg." His eyes widened with panic. "Oh, no. The eggs!" Then he darted for the kitchen.

She rummaged through the mostly bare drawers of Gohan's guest room, wishing for her pajamas and her clothes. Everything was back at Capsule Corp. but there was no way she could go there without Trunks making her stay. Last night, just like the previous nights, she'd slept in her camisole undershirt and panties - the only two articles of clothing that were blood free. Gohan had loaned her some of Videl's spare clothing she had left over and a few of his T-shirts. Usagi grinned when she remembered questioning him. _"Why, exactly, does Videl have clothes here?" _Gohan had blushed so red, so fast, that she thought he was going to pass out. The joys of being a sister.

She stared at the measly collection of clothes and decided to improvise. Gohan's T-shirt fell to her knees and covered a pair of Videl's shorts underneath. Nothing fit perfectly, but she wasn't in a place to complain. At least the colors matched...sort of.

"Good grief, Gohan. Are you cooking for an army?"

Even for two Saiyajins with hardy appetites, the huge pile of pancakes, the teetering mountain of bacon, and the platter-sized omelets were extreme. "What?" he started and followed her astonished gaze. "Is it too much?"

"You must have killed six pigs and robbed at least two dozen chickens to make all of that."

"Leftovers!" he shrugged and flipped another omelet.

She shook her head. "Your fridge must be a scary place."

Just then, someone knocked at the front door. Usagi jerked around, suddenly feeling apprehensive and vulnerable standing there in an over-sized T-shirt. '_Trunks?_'

"About time," Gohan left the stove, scooted around her, and snatched open the door. "Two minutes longer and you would have missed breakfast," was his greeting. He stepped back and revealed the visitor.

"Goten!" Usagi leapt forward and dragged her little brother into the apartment. It felt like ages since she'd last seen him. "What are you doing here?" She asked between hugs.

"Just wanted to see you, is all."

When he pulled her close and held her for a long moment, she realized he was lying. He knew she was here for another reason. Regardless, Usagi didn't turn away the comfort. She let him hold her and felt her stress from the nightmares slowly seep away. "I don't know why he's acting like a jackass all of a sudden, but it must be something serious if he upset you. Don't let it get you down, Usa. Today will be our day, okay?" Goten gently eased her back and ruffled her hair a little. There was no need to define who _he_ was.

The way he said that, though, bothered her. Usagi couldn't quite place why exactly.

Gohan smiled at his two siblings. "I'm spending most of the day at work, so I assumed you'd want the company." Usagi returned his smile. '_Since when did Gohan start being so sensitive?_' "The food's ready. Let's eat."

Less than five frantic minutes later, they all carefully leaned away from the table and attempted to breath around their full stomachs. "Oh, wow. I don't think I can move." Usagi rubbed her belly and moaned.

"Light weight." Gohan gently teased as he cleared away the plates.

Goten eyed the remaining food critically. "Give me ten minutes and then I'll be ready for a second helping."

"You're crazy."

He shook his head. "No, I'm determined … and I'm helpless to resist good food."

"Glutton."

Goten grinned. "If I had to pick one of the seven deadly sins, then that would be my favorite. How can it be a sin?" he asked indignantly. "Eating is natural, and I'm unnaturally good at it. Why should I be punished for that?"

Gohan quickly rinsed a few of the dishes. "Only you would consider stuffing your face a skill."

"It's my hobby!" he cheerfully declared.

Gohan wiped his wet hands on a dishtowel and threw it at his younger brother's head. "Alright, you two, don't wreck the place while I'm gone. If anything happens text me or leave me a voice message. If its really serious, I left the number for the college on the fridge."

"Yeah, yeah," Goten dismissed his worry flippantly. "We know the drill. No lighting the curtains on fire, we promise."

Usagi threw a napkin at him. "Hush, Goten." She turned to her older brother. "Have a good day at work, Gohan. Thanks again for letting me stay for a few days."

He softened. "Don't worry about it, Usa. That's what family is for." He grabbed his keys and his briefcase, and aimed one last warning glare at Goten before he was out the door.

"Come on, Goten, let's explore. I haven't really had any time to look around and see what he's done with the place." She had been too focused on her recent emotional turmoil to notice much of anything, much less deocrations and furniture. All she remembered from his housewarming party were off-white walls and bare rooms.

"You go ahead; I'm going to polish off the rest of the pancakes."

"I think your bottomless pit of a stomach should be labeled as a hazard zone," she called over her shoulder. He couldn't reply because he had folded _two_ pancakes together and somehow shoved it into his mouth. "One of these days you're going to choke." He shrugged and reached for the eggs.

She opened every door, revealing a utility closet and a coat closet, a guest room where she was currently sleeping, the master bedroom, one tiny bathroom, and a narrow balcony that was just big enough for a half dead plant and a rusty lawn chair. Since they were six floors up, Gohan didn't bother locking the balcony door. The plant looked so sad; she couldn't walk away without watering it.

Usagi stared dubiously at the rough, banged up furniture that looked like yard sale rejects and the mismatched glasses and plates. '_He's the successful one?'_ She couldn't quite believe it. The eye-searing yellow of the couch didn't quite match the chipped wood of the coffee table and the dust-covered black big screen television. A homemaker or interior designer, her brother was not. There was one tasteful picture frame that drew her attention. It was placed discreetly on the side table, under the lamp. Usagi picked it up and smiled down at her brother's blushing face. He was holding hands with his long term girlfriend, Videl. '_They look so happy together.'_ Imbedded in the frame, in small cursive letters, the words Happy Anniversary were carefully imprinted. '_Videl must have gotten this for him.'_

"Isn't this place awesome?" Goten gushed as he walked in from the kitchen, stretching his arms over his head and patting his satisfied stomach. "He's got his own place; he's out on his own in the real world. Man, I can't wait."

Usagi gently rubbed off the thin layer of dust and placed the frame back on the side table. She tried to imagine herself moved out of Capsule Corp. with her own apartment, living alone, and holding down a steady job; but no matter how hard to tried, she couldn't wrap her mind around the concept.

"Come on, Usa. Let's watch a movie."

They watched not one, but _two_ movies before they took a break for lunch. They raided his kitchen for snacks because neither of them could cook. Usagi felt uneasy when she saw how large their pile was becoming. She didn't want to impose on Gohan's hospitality more than was necessary. '_What if he regrets letting me stay?_'

"Don't worry so much!" Goten shrugged away her concerns. "What do you think siblings are for anyway, especially older ones who have jobs and can afford to spoil their family?"

"I guess…"

It was a natural progression from watching and heckling movies to playing video games. Of course, she won all the racing games, but it was because Goten spent the entire time begging her to play a fighting game. "Come on, Usa. Please? I haven't had a chance to really play since Trun –" he stopped himself.

'_He can't even say Trunks' name without feeling hurt.'_ She watched how he seemed to get mad at himself more than anything. "Alright, Goten, but you're going to kick my butt."

And he did. It was beyond sad.

Usagi felt guilty for being so bad because she knew he was disappointed. "I'm sorry, Goten."

He fiddled with the controller, listlessly. "This sucks, you know?"

She knew that he was talking about the situation with Trunks. "It's okay to miss him, Goten. I do and it's only been two days, I can't imagine how you feel."

He tossed away his controller. "No, Usa. It's not okay. I knew he could be a jerk, but I never thought he would be that way with me. If he can just write me off, then I don't see why I can't do the same."

His bitter tone hurt her more. Did Trunks even realize what he was putting his friends through? "You're not like that, Goten. You're too nice of a person."

He sighed. "Sometimes I wish I wasn't so nice 'cause then I wouldn't give a shit."

That was guy-speak for 'wouldn't hurt so much.' She tried to make light of the conversation by slipping her arm around him in a fierce hug. "I'd miss your smiles. Besides, I don't think I could handle two unfeeling jerks in my life."

Goten smiled slightly. "Alright, sis, I'll try to keep my sunny personality just for you."

Usagi took a deep breath. "Can I ask you something? It's about Trunks, so if you don't want to talk about it, I understand."

He sighed, but tried to maintain the light tone, "Sure, what?"

"You said something when you came this morning about how whatever was bothering him had to be bad because of how he was treating me. Why _me _specifically? He's treating you abysmally, but that didn't cause you nearly as much worry. So, why am I special? We're both his best friends." She stared him in the eyes, willing him to give her the absolute truth. Usagi was curious to see if Goten believed what everyone else did. Besides, if anyone could give her insight into Trunks' thoughts, it would be her younger brother.

Goten looked hesitant and a little embarrassed. "Umm… I don't think you want to know. You'd probably get more upset and Gohan wanted me to make sure you had fun today."

Before, that would have placated her. She would have trusted that he knew what was best, and wouldn't want to push him into an uncomfortable conversation. Now, however, she wanted answers. "Goten, tell me." He stopped and stared at her warily. That's when Usagi's stomach started to sink. "I think I already know, but I just want to hear you say it."

"He cares about you, Usa. A lot. It's kind of scary how much." Goten stared over her shoulder and let his mind think back. "When we became Gotenks at King Yama's palace in the afterlife, you remember?" Usagi nodded, but he didn't see her because he was concentrating on his memories. "He looked at you and I could feel everything he was feeling."

A jumbled mass of possessiveness, need, and wonder. Obsession.

"It was intense. The feelings went bone deep. You should have seen him when we were preparing to go to the afterlife to come get you. He was driven, relentless, and he had only one thought, one motivation. To never let you go." Goten locked gazes with her. "And he won't, Usa, not ever." His look was sad and full of pity.

It was Usagi's turn to stare off into the distance, reliving her memories. "He kissed me," she admitted and blushed fiercely.

"Then he's ready to move your relationship to the next level."

"_I'm_ not ready! This is crazy. I can't start thinking about him like _that_. It's not a switch that I can just flip. What about what I feel? What about what I want? Doesn't that matter?"

Goten sighed. "He's the prince, Usa. That means he gets what he wants, and he's got enough power running through him to take whatever he wants if he has to." Goten's voice became whisper soft and half thought. "If he ever harnessed his full strength, I think he'll be more powerful than Dad."

Usagi paled. Goku was the strongest being on the planet and probably in the Galaxy since he impressed the Kais so easily. For someone as ruthless as Trunks to hold such a distinction was a sobering thought. No one would be able to protect her. Not Vegeta. Not Goten or Gohan.

Some niggling thought interrupted her train of thought. '_Why does anyone have to protect you? Why can't you protect yourself?'_ For the first time, Usagi considered Setsuna's training as a legitimate means of self defense as opposed to simply something unique and interesting to practice. She wasn't nearly as confident in her training to actually use it in a fight. If it ever came down to a physical battle between her and someone else, she knew she'd lose hands down, but… '_What if you didn't?'_ the annoyingly persistent part of her mind insisted.

Usagi imagined how it would feel to have complete faith in her gifts and the confidence to depend on no one except herself and her own abilities. An image slowly coalesced in her mind of her standing confidently, proudly facing down evil to protect innocents. '_To right wrongs and triumph over evil…'_

"Usa? You okay?" Goten gently touched her shoulder.

Usagi jerked around and stared at him with fierce unseeing eyes. Goten felt goose bumps chase down his spine. His sister suddenly looked confident, determined, and strangely wise; as if she had seen the worst the world had to offer and was still left standing. Shuddering, Usagi blinked and the eerie moment passed.

Goten breathed a sigh of relief. That was beyond weird. He struggled to lighten the conversation. Maybe all of the serious discussion was causing them to freak out or something. "You shouldn't be talking to me about who you're kissing. That's just gross. I definitely don't want to hear about my best friend moving in on my sister. Are you trying to traumatize me?"

Usagi's answering smile was shaky. "You're right. What was I thinking?" '_What was I thinking?' _she asked herself. Those feelings were very strange and unsettling. Maybe Setsuna could help her make sense of it all? That was the first time she had a vision without experimenting with her powers or being directly exposed to moonlight.

"What about you, Goten? Are there any girls that I should know about?"

He blushed. "Yeah, right. When do I have time to meet girls? Sometimes I wish I went to high school like someone normal, you know? There are lots of girls there, no searching needed. They're even required by law to be there! I just have to show up to class. I've heard that teachers will put you in groups for assignments. Can you believe that? The school makes girls talk to you! The job is practically done for me."

Usagi bit her lip to keep from laughing at his exuberance. "So you've been petitioning Chichi for public school, huh? How's that working out?"

Goten deflated, literally slumped in his chair and stared at her as if she had smashed his favorite video game. "It's not."

They heard keys jingling at the apartment door, quickly followed by their older brother. "I'm home!" Gohan took one look at his younger brother's dejected face and knew something was wrong. "What's wrong with you?"

Goten mumbled an answer under his breath. Usagi had no trouble airing his dirty laundry. "He's been asking to go to public school."

Gohan spared him a pitying glance. "I remember trying that. Mom put her foot down yet?"

"She put _both_ feet down and then made me do more chores for even suggesting it! Like it's some kind of crime to want to have a life and socialize."

"And talk to girls," Usagi finished for him helpfully.

Goten glared, but she innocently reached for a chip and dunked it in the spicy salsa. Somehow the chips had survived their afternoon feeding. And they say miracles didn't exist.

Gohan grinned. "Girls, huh?"

"Shut up, Gohan!"

He laughed. "Alright. Tell you what. Let Mom calm down for a little while. You probably surprised her and she panicked and lashed out. Now she knows what you want and it'll start nagging at her. Keep dropping hints, but make sure they're _very_ subtle. Then, I'll give her a call and see if I can't talk her into it."

Goten looked hopeful.

"I'm not making any promises; you know how stubborn she can get, but I'll try." Gohan looked between his two siblings. "Now, I've got some groceries in the car, so make yourselves useful and bring them up." He glanced at the overflowing trash. "I figured you two would try to eat me out of house and home."

Usagi blushed, but Goten grinned unrepentantly. "Like it was going out of style," he agreed. "Your cereal was stale by the way."

Gohan rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the report."

"And your ice cream half melted before you refroze it. It was barely edible."

Gohan spied the empty half gallon container teetering at the top of the trash mound in the kitchen. "I'm sure you had to choke it down," his sarcasm was thick enough that even a deaf person would notice it.

Goten looked offended. "Like I would let your ineptitude ruin my appetite for Rocky Road. Give me more credit than that."

Usagi giggled. She missed this joking. The more she thought about it, the more momentous this occasion seemed. Had the three Son siblings ever really joked together without their father as a buffer to help ease the tension? She left them bickering in the kitchen, slipped out the front door and padded down to the first floor barefooted.

It wasn't until she rounded the corner, that she noticed a bright pink backpack innocently leaning against the hood of her brother's sensible sedan aircar. '_That's mine. Gohan didn't mention stopping by Capsule Corp.'_

It was the same backpack she took on their Saiyajin camping trips. That's when she knew. '_Trunks.'_ She glanced around, but of course he was out of sight. There was no way he would just leave her things in the open where anyone could grab them, so she knew he was around somewhere watching. Usagi carefully unzipped the pack and blinked in surprise. Her favorite pajamas were neatly folded along with one of Trunks' old tank top undershirts she sometimes stole to wear around the house. Her hand shook when she gently placed it aside. '_I bet it smells like him.'_ When she had a private moment, she would check. She smiled when she noticed all of her favorite lotions and hair ties and her extra soft bunny slippers. When she unzipped the front pocket, she gasped in delight and pulled out a bar of her favorite chocolate. Attached to the chocolate bar was a messily scrawled note '_I know what's important._'

She stared at the thoughtful collection and felt her uneasiness settle. Trunks would never hurt her; he was too sweet. She carefully repacked everything and clutched the backpack close to her chest. Turning on her heel, she made her way back to the stairs. '_The guys can get the groceries.'_ She had to go spend quality time sighing over her backpack and trying to talk herself into not caving at this first peace offering.

* * *

That night her phone rang. Usagi stared at the picture of Trunks' smirking face as it flashed on screen and thought about answering. What would she say? 'Thanks for the backpack' sounded so lame. Just because he was thoughtful didn't mean that anything had really changed between them. She was still too upset to forgive him. She knew that if she answered, then he would have an opportunity to talk her into coming home. Trunks was the most manipulative person she knew. Her hesitation went on long enough that her phone beeped, indicating she had a missed call.

Across town Trunks cursed and tossed his phone away in disgust. Fuck if he was going to stoop so low as to leave a voice message. Fingers raked through his hair in frustration. He was a prince, for heaven's sake. Anyone should be grateful for his attention, eager to converse with him, but not Usagi. What was it going to take to get her to just answer her phone and talk to him?

* * *

Trunks glared out the back window of a classy aircar. The aircar was the first in a line of identical black vehicles, cruising through the Black Moon territory. One of Trunks' men was driving, while he and Alan sat in the back. Alan was typing away on his computer, diligently organizing the names of businesses and people who currently owed the Black Moon Clan money. At the beginning of each month a list was generated of those who neglected to pay their monthly tribute to the Clan for its protection and for the right to conduct business in their territory. The people either forgot or more likely skipped town, were unable to pay, or they were just too stupid to know better. Trunks and his men were going to find them and make them reconsider. Ever the practical sort, Alan was mapping the most efficient route between each contact and dividing them between the cars and the men. Trunks would assign the teams and send them out to do the dirty work. Ironically, no one questioned his right to lead and supervise. For the past few days, everyone was treating him carefully and stumbling over themselves in their eagerness to please.

"I heard a rumor today that you were getting promoted soon," Alan's voice cut through the silence, causing Trunks to realize that his friend's rhythmic typing had subsided a while ago.

Trunks shrugged, uninterested. He didn't particularly want to rehash his meeting with Diamond.

Alan frowned over the lack of reaction. Usually when someone moved up through their ranks they were grateful for the opportunity and eager to step into more power. Alan was about to question him, subtly of course, when Trunks broke the silence.

"I need your advice 'cause I'm in deep shit."

At first Alan thought he was referring to the promotion and the Precious. Then, he realized that Trunks' interest lay elsewhere. '_That girl. Usagi. Xandra.'_ He remembered the kiss from the warehouse and her reaction and suddenly understood why Trunks' mind was wandering.

"Yeah, you are. What did she do after you kissed her?"

Trunks tensed, suspicious. "How did you know about that?"

Alan answered carefully, knowing that to show any undue attention in the girl was to invite death. "I knew you wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her, so I stayed behind in the warehouse and made sure that you didn't hurt her in your rage."

Trunks relaxed. "She is never in danger from me. My, shall we say, darker half wouldn't hurt her. You, on the other hand, would have died had I seen you eavesdropping." He eyed his friend and colleague. "You were very lucky that I was otherwise occupied or I would have sensed you."

"I knew the danger."

They shared a masculine nod of understanding.

Alan refused to be dissuaded from the more pressing topic. "So, what did she do afterward?"

Trunks frowned at nothing in particular. It galled him to admit any form of defeat, but he was out of his element. "She went to stay with her brother."

"She hasn't come home yet?"

"Nope."

Alan winced, vaguely surprised that Trunks hadn't taken out his bad mood on the men, like he did when she went off for that extended weekend not too long ago. "You talk to her yet?"

Trunks shrugged. "On the phone."

Well at least that was something. "How'd it go?" This was like pulling teeth.

"I'm still in deep shit. I've called her every night since but she won't pick up her damn phone." Trunks blinked and noticed the area of town they were cruising through. Suddenly he sat up, alert, and addressed the driver. "Find a place and pull over."

The driver's head immediately started frantically swiveling, looking for a suitable place as quickly as possible. Not wanting to incite the teen with any kind of delay, he jerked the car into the deserted parking lot behind an abandoned strip mall.

Alan raised an eyebrow. "This isn't our usual meeting spot."

"Plans just changed," was his only answer as he climbed out of the car.

A stiff breeze jerked at his clothes and whipped his hair away from his face, as he stood to attention and waited for the men to pile out of their cars. No one bothered to complain or question his unscheduled stop. When they quietly circled around him, he divided them into teams of three. "Change of plans. We leave from here. Alan has sent you each your respective lists, along with a recommended route. Each team will find and question every person on their list, forcefully if need be. You will only question that person - no family members or nice neighbors. I want this clean and efficient, no loose ends. You will contact me when you are heading to your next mark and if there are any problems. You know the drill. You have three hours from now. No excuses. Now, are there any questions?" No one said a word; they barely even dared to breathe. "Dismissed."

Alan waited until everyone was pulling out of the parking lot. "Not that I'm complaining, but why am I not on one of the teams?"

Trunks eyed his friend. "'Cause you're better at this than I am." He turned on his heel and headed up the street.

Now he was confused. "What?" Alan jogged to catch up.

"You said girls like flowers, right?"

Trunks motioned to the shop a few blocks ahead. 'Dazzling Daisies' was hardly the most upscale florist that the city had to offer, but it was one of the best in terms of variety and simple elegance. It was a family owned small business that had been in existence for over three generations, practically a Satan City landmark. The owners always paid the Black Moon on time and in full, but Trunks made routine visits to all of the shop owners within Black Moon territory to remind them of the Clan's presence and power. Occasionally, one of the owners would get riled and Trunks would have to put them in their place. A few months ago, he had to discipline one of the partners of the hardware store across the street. Many of the other owners watched through their store windows, knowing it would be pointless to call the police. Trunks made it as public as he could in order to send a message. '_The man should be out of the hospital by now.'_

He had quite the reputation around town.

That was why when they entered the earthy-smelling store, Trunks wasn't surprised that the horrified gasp of the owner's wife drowned out the happy tickling of the welcoming bells above the door. She immediately started begging in a loud, sob-filled voice. "Please, Señor Xand. Please not mi esposo. He is all I have. He is everything!" She dissolved into tears.

The shop owner, her 'esposo', motioned for her silence. She couldn't stop her flow of tears, but instead muffled them against her dirt-smudged apron. The husband drew himself tall and straight and then stepped out from behind the counter. "Did the Black Moon find a problem with our last payment?" his voice only trembled slightly.

Trunks was reluctantly impressed by the man's bravado, and so didn't lengthen the suspense. "No. Everything was in order as always." Abruptly he felt awkward. He didn't quite know how to ask for what he wanted. He debated the wisdom of leaving Alan at the door to stand guard and answer the texts from the men. Maybe he should call him in to pick out the stupid flowers? Trunks frowned, immediately dismissing the idea. If Usagi was going to get a present, it would be from him and no one else.

The owner was mentally scrambling for the reason for this visit. It wasn't every day that a Black Moon lieutenant waltzed through the door. Finally, he couldn't take the silence a moment longer. "Was there something you needed?" '_Like more money? My first born? The skin off my back?'_

"I want some flowers."

The owner froze, genuinely shocked. The ruthless Xand was here as a customer?

"There's this girl." Trunks frowned fiercely. "She's royally pissed at me and well..."

The owner finally noticed, after the initial rush of his fear subsided, how awkward the teen looked, standing in the middle of his shop, glaring at all of the flowers as if they were going to jump out and attack him. He noticed how young the man was and felt his shoulders relax for the first time. This was no Black Moon lieutenant; instead it was a young man buying his first bouquet for his lady love.

"-and you were hoping a gift might soften her anger?" he guessed.

Trunks' shrug was jerky and defensive, a far cry from his usual suave arrogance. "Yeah, and the flowers here at your shop don't look as annoying as others I've seen."

The shop owner swelled with pride. It was the best compliment he had ever received. "Thank you," his gracious reply was very heartfelt. "My name is Ramón by the way."

"I know who you are." Trunks scowled, impatient, "Look. Just help me not look like a complete idiot when it comes to this," he waved to indicate the endless rows of perfect blooms, "and I'll help you with next month's tribute."

Ramón was shocked and impressed. '_He must really like this girl.'_ For a moment he contemplated the type of female who would hold the attention of such a man. Finally, he decided to ask. "Tell me about her."

"Why?" he asked, suspicious.

Ramón sighed. "It's only going to make my job harder if you question everything." Still the teen wouldn't relent. "Fine. The more I know about her – her likes, dislikes, her favorite color – then I can get a sense of what blossoms would best fit her personality and the situation."

Trunks eyed him – noting his dirt-covered apron and eager, honest expression – before finally relenting. "She likes pink. … and white," he thought longer. "And blue."

He took a deep breath and concentrated on Usagi. "She doesn't like violence." Ramón raised an eyebrow, but knew better than to comment. "Or lightning." His mind flashed to their last meeting. "Or blood." Eyes glazed with thought, he blindly reached out and rubbed his thumb over a silky petal from a nearby bloom. "She cries during movies and hides during thunderstorms. If she doesn't have at least two pillows then she snores. She's perfect." Trunks realized that he was actually smiling, grinning at her expense because she would be furious if she knew he was talking about her. "She's one of the strongest, bravest people I know because after all she's been through she can still laugh and smile and forgive."

"She sounds very special."

"Perfect," he corrected. Trunks let the smile melt off his face. For a moment he got lost in his thoughts and revealed more than he wanted.

Ramón noticed his fierce resentful expression, but didn't let it bother him. He was careful to look away and act as if this was nothing out of the ordinary, even though inside he was reeling from this softer side of Xand. To fill the silence, he shared knowledge of his one true passion. "Flowers have meanings, did you know that? It's like knowing a whole other language. Entire conversations can take place, simply with the right combination. Take this lichen for example," he pointed to a brightly colored moss looking patch, warming to his topic. "This is the first plant that will grow on the side of bare rock and slowly breaks it down into soil. In flower language it means solitude. Now, that by itself doesn't sound very appealing, but," he pulled out two other plants, "If I pair it with a gardenia, which means 'secret love' and viscaria which means 'an invitation to dance'. Then the message becomes something more of a romantic retreat."

Trunks eyed the lichen dubiously. "I'm not getting her moss."

Ramón laughed. "No, I think not. Your situation will require something altogether different. What happened between you two? Why is she angry?"

"You'll never know. No one will ever know." Trunks stepped into the other man's personal space. "You tell anyone about why I was here today, if you even breathe a word, I will take this place apart brick by brick, until all that's left of your family's legacy is dust in the wind. Then," his grin was evil and full of promise. "Then, I'll get started on your family. Do you understand?"

Ramón froze. As he stared into the harsh blue eyes, he realized that he was staring at a being with no conscience. There was no right or wrong, no concept of consequences looking back at him; there was only reaction to emotions, living in the moment. How naïve of him to forget for even an instant that he was dealing with a predator. A teenager, yes, but he was also a predator that was willing, eager even, to hunt down and destroy those weaker than himself. Every rumor, every malicious story he ever heard from other shop owners came back to him, and Ramón knew that we didn't stand a chance. "Y-Yes, sir. No one will know."

"Good. Then we won't have a problem." He pulled out a business card that had only an address engraved on the back. "Have the flowers delivered here by the end of the day. We'll discuss payment then."

Ramón frantically shook his head. "There is no need for payment, Señor Xand. It –"

Trunks motioned for silence, and Ramón immediately stopped midsentence. "I'll pay full price. This girl, she wouldn't appreciate that kind of discount. Besides, this gift will be from me – not from you and your stupid ass store." Just then he noticed Alan waving at him from the store window. Trunks arrogantly turned away from Ramón in dismissal, but paused to look back over his shoulder. "Gardenias really mean 'secret love'?"

Ramón nodded carefully.

Trunks thought about the flower he painstakingly selected and placed on Usagi's pillow the morning before their argument. '_'Secret love' huh? That's ironic.'_ He chuckled drily and stepped out into the street, smiling with satisfaction when he heard Ramón's trembling exhale even over the annoying door chime. '_The sound of a desperate man.'_ It made his blood sing.

Alan was already on the phone, signaling the driver to pull to the curb. "Did you find anything worthy?"

"We'll see this afternoon." Trunks pulled out an expensive pair of sunglasses from his pocket. "The owner is going to deliver it to one of our fronts. It'll be worthy because the future of his store and his family will depend upon it."

Alan noted the relentless chill in the younger man's eyes before he blocked them with the dark lenses and shivered with dread. Something was different about him. If you looked closely, you could see the anger that was simmering just below the surface, closer, more intense than it was a few days ago. Three days away from his girl was causing him to lose touch with reality. '_What is he going to be like in a week?' _That thought terrified him. Alan knew it was time to intervene.

"How're you planning on giving them to her?"

Trunks paused. "I don't know. Have them delivered I guess."

Alan frowned. "Are you going to leave a note?"

Trunks actually stopped walking and cursed under his breath. "I didn't think about that." He was about to turn back to the florist, when Alan stopped him.

"I'll deliver the flowers for you."

"You?" Trunks eyed him dubiously. He almost turned him down simply because there were always women falling at the man's feet, and he didn't want Usagi to be tempted; but something stopped him. Alan had a special gift when it came to women. He knew how they thought and knew how to appeal to their emotions. The more Trunks thought about it, the more he realized that Alan could be his secret weapon.

"Yeah. Let me deliver the flowers and talk to her, and I promise she'll answer the phone tonight."

"Alright. I'll give you her brother's address, but Alan," he pulled down his sunglasses and locked gazes with him, "I'm going to give you the same warning I gave someone else. If you touch her, even once, you will never use that hand again."

Alan shivered at the deadly promise. "Understood, Xand." They slid into the smooth leather backseat of the waiting black aircar. "What happened to the other person you warned?" He was almost didn't want to know.

Trunks reflected back on Prince Jidu on Vegeta-sei. "I turned all of the bones in his right hand into powder and left him broken and bleeding on the floor, but he had it better than the other guy. Nappa, I took apart with my bare hands. I broke him before I killed him. He was begging by the end of it."

Alan stared; horrified at the cruel smirk that twisted the youth's face into something hard and merciless.

Just then, Trunks' phone _ding_ed, signaling an incoming text. "Looks like one of the teams ran into some trouble." Trunks' grin was little more than a baring of teeth. "Let's go have some fun."

* * *

_Knock, knock._

"I'll get it Gohan!" Usagi called out over her shoulder, loud enough so that her brother could hear from in the shower. She padded barefoot to the door, hastily drying her hands on the dish towel. '_Maybe Videl is early for their date.'_

She gasped when she opened the door to the same handsome coworker of Trunks'. "You!" It was the second time in just a handful of days this man had come knocking at her door. What was strange was that she was across town. '_How did he know I was here?'_ was her first panicked thought, but then another thought had her gripping the door handle so tightly that she lost feeling in her fingers.

"Did it happen again? Is he… okay?"

Alan mentally berated himself; he should have realized that she would immediately jump to that conclusion. Why else would he be here? "Everything is fine. He's okay. Very unhappy that you're avoiding him," he looked at her pointedly, "but otherwise okay." Alan tried not to wince at his understatement. A brief memory of the bloody interrogation he watched Trunks' deliver earlier that afternoon flashed across his mind. '_A little bloodthirsty and commanding, but okay. Anything is better than the warehouse.'_

"Then, why are you here?"

Alan was struck anew by the girl's beauty. Her expression was so open and innocent; she looked so delicate framed against the doorway, it was nearly impossible for him to reconcile that this was the same girl who dared flying bullets from two of the most violent mafia factions in the country. She didn't hesitate to walk into a warzone to save her friend and everyone else standing in his path. That took a strength of will that most hardened soldiers didn't have, much less a dainty fifteen year old girl. '_She's going to need that strength if she's going to survive with Xand.'_

"He sent me."

Usagi frowned and looked away.

"He misses you, you know?" Alan stared at her tense expression and realized that this went both ways. That alone nearly staggered him. "You miss him too, don't you?"

Usagi shrugged. "I'm too upset with him to even think about it," she half lied.

"You have a reason to be. Anyone would be upset. Hell, I'm upset and I wasn't even in the thick of things like you were. I don't think _he_ really blames you for that either. But did you even stop and think about why? Why did he have a meltdown that day?"

Usagi was shaking her head before he could finish. "You don't know him. He doesn't have to have a reason. Sometimes it just happens. He gets angry and then he hurts people, people he cares about."

Alan's smile was charming but sad. "There was a reason that time. Do you even want to know what it is? Or have you already judged him?"

Apprehensively, Usagi bit her lip and sighed. "I'm listening."

"We infiltrated the enemy base expecting to find illegal drugs and guns, instead we found girls." Usagi frowned but didn't interrupt. "There was a room full of girls who had been badly abused. Young girls, about your age. They had been beaten and most of them were tied to beds. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Usagi paled. She understood more than he realized. She knew what fists felt like, knew how seductive the fog of death appeared to a body racked with pain. Then the rest of what he was implying filtered through her shock. "Raped?" '_Oh Kami, Molly.' _With this context, the conversation she had with her new friend made a lot more sense. The wary look in her eyes. The stained sheets. Usagi felt vaguely ill.

"That's what sent him over the edge. He ordered us to get the girls out of there and then he went after the men responsible." Alan let her absorb his words. "Are you really going to judge him for that?" He watched the conflict battle through her eyes.

"I didn't know," she brokenly whispered. She shifted her feet and leaned against the doorframe, weary from her internal conflict and from the sickening revelations. Why did she always feel guilty when she stood her ground against Trunks? It felt like something within her rebelled, even though mentally she knew that this was the right course.

Alan knew not to push his luck. He desperately wanted her confirmation that she would relent, that she would forgive their mutual friend, but he knew that pushing now could have the opposite effect. So, he waited for her to speak first and break the silence.

"Is this why he sent you? For you to talk to me and plead his case?"

Alan flashed the winning smile that had women all over the city swooning. "Oh, no. He sent me to deliver these," he reached for the flowers he had set against the wall of the hallway, just out of her sight.

Usagi gasped and covered her mouth in shock, when he handed her the most gorgeous bouquet of flowers she had ever seen. Pink roses so light they looked cream-colored were tucked around white lilies. White carnations looked like little lost clouds that were floating against the splash of blue from a flower she didn't readily recognize. Every bloom was perfect and painstakingly arranged in a dainty vase. She opened her mouth, but no words would come. This was so much more than the gardenia he'd left her that one morning.

"H-How?" she couldn't even finish a thought.

Alan grinned. "He was very particular when it came to these. Apparently only the best is good enough for you."

Usagi still couldn't take her eyes away from the arrangement. It was too perfect. "He has no business getting me flowers." Even as she said that, she tightened her grip around the vase.

"Why not? Isn't that usually how guys are supposed to apologize?"

Usagi blushed. "Something like this should be for their girlfriends."

Alan just stared at her pointedly. When she stubbornly refused to answer his silent demand, he sighed. "You're still in denial, I see."

Usagi finally tore her awed gaze away from the overflowing bundle of Spring she held in her arms to glare at him. "You don't know anything."

'_Now. Push now.' _"I know he needs you. I know that he changes into a completely different person when he's with you. Answer me this. Do you care about him?"

"Yes."

"Do you trust him?"

"Yes," her voice was little more than a whisper.

"Sometimes you have to just jump and trust that he'll be there to catch you. You two care about each other; _that is what will make the difference_. What do you have to lose?"

"A best friend. If it doesn't work out, then I would be left with nothing."

Alan sighed. How could such a sunny girl be so pessimistic? "And if it does work out?" He laughed at her shocked expression. "You didn't think about that, did you?"

A voice called out and broke the tense moment. "Usa? Who's at the door?"

Usagi started at her brother's voice and glanced over her shoulder.

Alan stepped away. "Do me a favor. Think about it." He turned on his heel and whistled his way down the hallway.

* * *

That night Usagi clutched her phone between nervous hands and watched the clock, anxious for Trunks' call. All through dinner and throughout the evening, the conversation she had with Alan kept circling through her head. She stared at the flowers that dominated the small dresser in the guest room for the hundredth time and couldn't quite believe that Trunks had gone to all of the trouble. This was a prince who rarely acknowledged any wrongdoing and never apologized to anyone; but he had done both with her. '_What does that mean?'_

Just then, the phone vibrated in her hand and nearly made her jump out of her skin. "Jeez," she breathed and tried to breathe around her hammering heart. For a moment longer, she hesitated. Did she really want to have a conversation with him? Could she handle it? The baise carpet didn't have any answers for her. '_Why not? What harm could it do?'_ It wasn't like she was really looking forward to her dreams tonight.

With shaking fingers, she answered.

"Hey." She could hear the utter silence on his end.

"You answered." He was clearly surprised.

Usagi closed her eyes at the sorely missed sound of his voice. She felt her heart start to beat faster. '_What is this feeling?_' Her eyes trailed over the flowers and softened, suddenly this didn't seem as hard as she thought. "Thank you for the flowers. They're beautiful."

'_You're beautiful.'_ Trunks thought to say but bit the words back. She didn't need to hear that right now. "Then they're perfect for you." '_Okay, that wasn't much better.'_

Usagi blushed.

He rushed to fill the silence. "I had them specially made."

"They're worth whatever you paid for them. Thank you…"

Trunks didn't want to talk about the damn flowers anymore. He was anxious to hear about her. "How are you? Gohan isn't being his usual prick self, is he?"

Usagi sighed and felt a reluctant smile tug at her lips; those two would never get along. "Gohan has been great. He even cooked me breakfast yesterday morning." At the mention of food, she heard Trunks' stomach growl over the phone and then laughed when hers answered.

"And you, Usa, how are you?"

"I'm fine." She heard his disappointed sigh at her blasé remark.

"The truth, Usa."

Usagi pulled her knees in closer to her chest and hugged them tight. "I'm having a hard time sleeping."

He was silent for a moment, before he cursed. "I should be there! You shouldn't be going through all of this alone. I know this has brought back bad memories, don't bother hiding it."

"I can't handle seeing you right now," Usagi admitted quietly, "But I do wish you were here. I miss you."

Trunks was silent for a moment. "...Then come home."

Usagi was sorely tempted but knew that it wouldn't be a good idea. Her feelings for Trunks were still a confused mess and she wanted to be of one mind when she faced him again. Alan's comments made her even more thoughtful. "Not yet."

"Usagi..."

She panicked when she heard his conjoaling tone of voice. He was going to try and talk her into it or simply just order her home! "Trunks, I have to go."

"Usagi!"

"Thanks for the flowers. It was really sweet," she hurried and then hung up before he could utter another word. Usagi rested her forehead against her raised knees and breathed. She still clutched the warm phone almost desperately in her hand, as if she were subconsciously trying to be that much closer to him.

* * *

Across town Trunks cursed and punched his bedroom wall. '_Damn it. So close.'_ A wonderful opportunity to finally get her to see reason just slipped through his fingers.

It took him a long time to settle down and attempt to sleep. The night seemed to drag on, but still his mind kept worrying about her and the whole situation. Finally, hours later, he pushed the covers away and climbed out of bed. He was losing sleep simply knowing that Usagi was having nightmares because of him. '_This is pointless.'_ He jerked on his clothes and pushed out of his bedroom window, immediately taking to the air and flying towards the University district. He used the city lights to navigate.

Less than five minutes later, he touched down on the darkened balcony using the warrior stealth inherent in his species. He lowered his ki level until it was almost nonexistent and slowly slid open the balcony door. Just as he suspected, no one bothered to lock it. The apartment was dark and silent, but with two Saiyajins in residence he wasn't taking any chances. Slowly, he eased into the living room and quietly slid the glass door closed behind him. So far, so good. He couldn't check the kis in the apartment and pinpoint Usagi's position without raising his own ki and possibly alerting Gohan, so he'd have to find her the old fashion way, by actually looking.

Trunks carelessly glanced at the couch even though he wasn't expecting her to be sleeping there. '_Gohan had a guest room, I think.'_ The housewarming party he attended was ages ago. He blinked and sneered at the furniture. '_What a dump.'_ As the prince of their race, he was insulted that one of his people was forced to live like this. '_What did I expect when Gohan thought his Saiyaman costume was cool?'_ He shook his head. '_I've got to get Usa out of here.'_ He briefly entertained the idea that she might be so horrified by her surroundings that she would beg him to take her home. '_Yeah, right.'_

The hallway was a small stretch that yielded three doors. He vaguely remembered the miniscule excuse for a bathroom was at the far end, but that left two doors unaccounted for. By process of elimination, he knew they had to be the bedrooms, but if he chose incorrectly then he could be walking in on Gohan. Trunks took a chance and reached for the right door's handle. However, before he could touch it, an unearthly sound sent the door vibrating and had him cringing away in horror. It sounded like the death throes of a wounded walrus roaring for revenge. Clasping his aching and abused ears, he backed away in horror. There was no way that was Usagi's room. There was only one room left.

Quickly, so he wouldn't be subjected to another direct blast, he slipped into the guest bedroom and breathed a sigh of relief when the hideous sound was muted. '_Not by much. Usa must really be mad at me if she is voluntarily putting up with this every night. Maybe she isn't having nightmares; maybe it's her brother's awful sleeping habits keeping her up at night.'_

He turned and immediately knew he was wrong.

She was tossing and pulling at the sheets, with sweat dotting her brow and soaking her bangs. He could see where she tried to cocoon herself in sheets to help stifle her brother's snoring, but the sheets were now tangled around her scissoring legs and half pooling on the floor. The "guest bed" consisted of a mattress on the floor shoved in a corner. Apparently Gohan's decorating abilities didn't include bed frames.

Trunks didn't know how long he stood just inside the room and absorbed her presence, but when she started whimpering he finally forced himself across the room. Carefully scooping the sheets off the floor, he knelt down and draped them around her. Thankfully she wasn't a light sleeper.

"Shh, Usa. I'm here now."

She gasped and cringed, curling in on herself into a trembling ball.

Trunks gently pushed back her damp bangs and smoothed a hand down her flushed face. "_Be at ease," _he commanded softly in the Saiyajin tongue. Ever since she returned from Vegeta-sei the abrasive growls and grunts of their native language seemed to sooth her. Their language touched a part of her that she probably didn't even acknowledge. It worked, and he was grateful as he watched her brow smooth and her mouth soften.

He talked to her then, told her his thoughts, things he didn't even realize he was thinking. It didn't matter what he said, really, because she responded to the rhythm of his speech and his tone of voice and slowly relaxed. All the while, he couldn't help but touch her. At first he was content to smooth down her hair, but then his fingertips brushed over her shoulder and he smiled when he noticed she was wearing the undershirt of his he had packed in her pink backpack. '_Missing me, are you?' _He traced down the graceful slope of her arm and circled his fingers around her dainty wrist.

"What the hell are you doing in my house? And what the fuck are you doing to my sister?"

Trunks froze. '_Shit. Gohan.'_

* * *

_AN: _Review time! I want to know your reactions, how you think the story is going, what you think is going to happen next. This chappy is in time for SweetKhaos' birthday. Happy birthday! Thanks for taking the time to review.

- I hope this chapter's length isn't a disappointment. I'm glad you like the story progression!

ChibiSilverShadow - As you can see, Gohan still has a part to play. I hope you like how Usa is trying to stand up for herself.

OceanTide - (formerly SummerThunder), glad you finally got an account! You definitely pinned down the character's motivations. It made me so proud when I read your breakdown. It makes me feel like I'm doing something right with this whole writing thing. :) As for Xand, just wait and see. The Goten situation should be further explained in the next chapter. Raseri-Rage - I like the nickname. I love your long review!

Manga2012 - I laughed when I read your comments. It makes my day that you get so connected with the characters.

Guest - (whoever you were) I sometimes go back and reread this story from start to finish, so I know what a loooong undertaking that is. All I can say is thank you and I'm glad it can entertain you for that long.

Genesis Saturn - :) I'm estatic you're going to stick with me 'til the end! As promised this chapter didn't take nearly so long to finish and post.

Artemesia-Hime - Happy you caught that he was lying and that she definitely isn't going to like it. I put more Gohan scenes in this chapter just for you.

Guest - (woops there were two of you) - I'm glad you check back! and that you're a huge fan! I'll try not to disappoint and to keep you coming back for more.

MoonHazels - I am honored that this is your favorite story. 0.0 Don't you worry. There is still plenty of drama ahead.

For everyone else reading that isn't reviewing. Thank you. (I still wish you would give me your feedback though!) Until next chappy!


	35. Advice

**Chapter 34**

"What the hell are you doing in my house? And what the fuck are you doing to my sister?"

Trunks froze. '_Shit. Gohan.'_ Before Trunks could turn and face the furious sibling, a soft grumbling had them both holding their breaths. Usagi stirred, frowned faintly at the raised voices and snuggled back against her pillows all without opening her eyes. Two seconds later, she was breathing deeply again. Both the half Saiyajins sighed with relief; neither of them wanted Usagi awake to witness their argument.

Gohan glared for Trunks to stay put and quietly darted back to his room, only to reappear seconds later holding a strange gadget that was dwarfed by his palm. Quickly, he set it up next to Usagi's mattress and messed with the switches. Trunks stared at the queer-looking device with interest, vaguely recalling his mother tinkering with something similar years ago. As soon as Gohan had it adjusted to his satisfaction, he resumed his verbal attack. "What the hell Trunks!" He sounded more pissed now that he had to suppress his anger for a few moments.

Trunks glanced down at Usagi, but she remained undisturbed. '_Huh. It's a noise canceling device.'_

"You can't just break into my home, especially when you're not wanted."

Trunks gritted his teeth at that, but carefully eased away from Usagi before he answered. "I can do whatever the fuck I want. You don't know how to take care of her 'cause, let's face it, this is the first time you've tried acting like a protective older brother who actually gave a damn. Better late than never, I guess." His accompanying sneer was all the more satisfying because he knew that the barb had hit home.

Gohan literally shook with anger. Two could hit below the belt. "At least she gave me a second chance. Aren't you still waiting for yours?"

A growl was his only answer. "You don't want to push me, Gohan. You really don't." Trunks could feel the anger starting to spike his blood with adrenaline and blood lust.

"I think I do. I don't know what the hell you're into, and frankly I don't care. But when my baby sister shows up covered in blood, we're going to have a problem. Stay away from her."

"You don't order me to do anything. Is that clear, _third level?_" The last word was spat out in the Saiyajin language, the language of his 'beast of power'. It was guttural and harsh, a testament to his waning control.

Gohan felt the base of his spine tingle at the growled foreign word. Though completely unintelligible to him, the language somehow sounded familiar. It reached something deep inside of him and literally tightened his guts with awe, respect, and a healthy amount of fear. '_This is just Trunks, so why do I feel like I should run?'_

Trunks was too pissed to bother waiting for an answer. "You want to do this? Let's do this. I've wanted a piece of you since I was old enough to know what 'fucking disgrace' meant."

Gohan's anger quickly returned and swept away his unease. All he had to remember was Usagi's bloody, tear-streaked face and he was ready to transform into a Super Saiyajin. "The roof top, then. Unless you wimp out."

Trunks' grin was little more than a baring of teeth. "You're the only coward in this room, Gohan." Trunks stood protectively in front of Usagi's bed and watched as Gohan opened the bedroom window and fearlessly pushed out into the night, already levitating towards the roof.

Trunks made to follow, but for some reason he couldn't leave without looking back at Usagi one last time. He smiled when he noticed she had kicked off the covers again. Almost as if in a trance he walked closer and gently straightened the sheets. He swept her hair back, leaned down, and lightly brushed her lips with his. The kiss they shared at the warehouse still haunted him with its intensity, but this innocent moment, echoed their first kiss.

"Trunks..." her lips moved under his as they soundlessly whispered his name. Since Gohan's snoring aid was on, he couldn't savor the sound; but something inside him melted. A spurt of satisfaction bubbled up from his core. She was his, but she didn't know it yet. He glanced up and noticed the flower arrangement on top of the lone dresser. It turned out better than he thought - not that he was qualified to judge the beauty of plants - but he knew that those were the colors Usagi liked. He scooped up the dainty vase and gently placed it next to her bedside where she would see it first thing in the morning. It satisfied some primal need to surrounding her with his gifts; even the clothes on her back were from him. When she forgave him - there was no doubt in his mind that she would eventually give in - he would shower her with gifts and mementos that would keep him in the forefront of her thoughts.

Floors above, he felt Gohan's ki flare and knew that the older man was getting impatient with his delay. '_Too bad. He can wait.'_ Trunks stood and stared down at Usagi for a long, silent moment. After not seeing her for days, stepping away and leaving her even for battle was nearly gut-wrenchingly painful. Even as he grew excited at the coming test of strength and power, he couldn't help resenting the separation. '_He'll pay.'_ If Gohan hadn't offered her sanctuary, then she would've had no choice but to return to him. '_He'll pay for taking what is mine and then daring to order me away.'_ It wasn't until he stepped out of the window and into the crisp night air, that Trunks realized his thoughts had converted to the Saiyajin language.

The roof of the high rise apartment building was mostly flat and barren of all but a few air vents and a small patch of well tended greenery. Even though it was the middle of the night, the sky still cast a purple haze from the city's light pollution reflecting off the overcast clouds. '_Usa must hate not being able to see the stars at night.'_ Thankfully Capsule Corp was on the fringe of the city and not in its heart like the college district. It was just one more advantage to her coming home with him - he needed all the help he could get.

"No ki blasts because there are too many people who could get hurt, including Usa. Mrs. Fetzar's garden is off limits too; she'd drop with a stroke if anything happened to her roses."

Trunks scoffed, stared at him incredulously, but finally agreed. He wasn't going to spend time and anger arguing over whether a Saiyajin should care about some old fart's flowers; he'd rather settle his differences the proper way, with his fists.

Neither of them could mask their growing anticipation for a battle that was so long overdue. Their warrior blood hummed with restless energy, eagerly waiting to inflict pain. The frantic edge of their anger settled slightly at the promise of a resolution - it was no longer about cutting taunts and enticing the enemy to battle, now it was about pounding the opponent into submission. At first Trunks had a hard time taking Gohan seriously. His cartoon pajama bottoms really detracted from his intimidation - it was hard to find Underdog very threatening - but then he saw the righteous anger burning in his eyes coupled with a build that would make any Saiyajin proud and he was reminded that Gohan was the first child Super Saiyajin and someone who had a wide variety of training from Piccolo, Goku, and the Kais. He would not be easily defeated.

Of course, Trunks was no wilting lily either. He had been taught by Vegeta, and a more mercilessly demanding trainer had never existed. He was the first child to ascend to the second level of Super Saiyajin and he did it at an age where Gohan was still struggling to learn how to shoot ki blasts. What's more, he was a prince with the rage of their dead people flowing through his veins; he was bred to conquer those weaker than himself and working for the Black Moon only fueled that instinct. Gohan might believe he had a reason to be pissed and throw down a challenge, but Trunks' anger for Gohan's neglect of Usagi had been festering for years. He vividly recalled her every bruise, every tear, every abandoned look and felt his control start to slip. This beat down was a long time in coming.

As if to some internal signal, they lunged towards each other as one. When they met fists first in the center, a sonic explosion swept up a cloud of dirt, caved in multiple air vents, and overturned a rusted old lawn chair, pushing it end over end until it disappeared off the roof's edge and plummeted to the street below. In a parking garage a few buildings over, car alarms flared to life, but neither Saiyajin could hear beyond the blood roaring in their ears. The battle of wills had begun.

Trunks effortlessly blocked the older Saiyajin's punches, dodged the furious kicks, and twisted free from the bone-crushing holds. A few blows were exchanged by both men, but Trunks just grinned through the blood and dove in for more. He darted forward and faked a low kick, but Gohan flipped back at the last minute to avoid getting his knee dislocated. Trunks waited for him to land and grunted with satisfaction when his fist connected solidly with the other Saiyajin's cheek. His sense of victory was short-lived since Gohan let his body's momentum carry him around in a complete circle and add force to his return punch. Trunks staggered back a few steps, struggling to stay on his feet. His vision darkened around the edges.

Both fighters stepped back and eyed each other with new respect. With the back of his hand, Trunks wiped away the blood trickling out the side of his mouth. Gohan was physically taller and had a longer reach, but Trunks was faster and meaner. This wouldn't be quick or easy.

Gohan charged, fists glowing with compressed energy and let out a barrage of ki punches that were so fast, they only left a blur of light in their wake. Trunks waited until he was about to get hit when he grinned and flashed into a Super Saiyajin. The resulting energy wave flung Gohan back to crash into the metal door to the stairwell. He left an impressive body-shaped dent behind when he slowly slid to the ground and shook the ringing out of his ears.

After months of subterfuge and hiding his true strength from the Black Moon it felt nearly euphoric to finally flex his power and push his body to its limits. Trunks felt the fire in his blood ignite and roared his challenge into the night. He didn't wait for Gohan to gain his feet but launched himself forward, fists raised, and eyes glinting with the promise of pain. With an enraged Saiyajin prince barreling toward him, Gohan was quick to flash into his own Super Saiyajin form and flip out of the way.

Nearly an hour later when the fight was reaching its peak of intensity, something inside Trunks seemed to '_click'. _He didn't readily notice that the world around him changed until he could almost '_feel'_ his opponent's intent. When Gohan spun into a kick, Trunks had already disappeared. Gohan blinked in shock because he knew that the younger Saiyajin hadn't teleported. '_He's just that fast.'_ As quick as a thought Trunks was up close and swinging tirelessly, efficiently pounding the other half Saiyajin's body so that each point of contact would have the most lasting impact. Trunks aimed mostly for the head, hoping to concuss his opponent enough to slow him down and make him falter. His strategy was working. Gohan attempted to fly back to gain a little space to maneuver, but Trunks followed, relentlessly taking advantage of the slight retreat.

The perfect moment of clarity was only realized when Gohan shoved him back with an aura blast. "What is wrong with you?" he huffed out, doubling over to catch his breath.

Not wanting his opponent to have the luxury of a break to regain his bearings, Trunks snarled and was about to launch himself forward again when he realized the strangeness of his thought patterns. Not only was his every stray thought processing in the Saiyajin language, but his mind was working at light speed - interpreting every moment and anticipating every possible fighting technique. His honed body was ready to counteract every move possible; his muscles literally quivered with the eagerness to act. Like chess, he had already planned his next dozen moves in advance. Countless combinations circled through his head. He was even compensating for wind speeds and flying with his back towards the brightest of the city's night lights. A perfect cocktail of adrenaline, power, and focus made him feel unstoppable. Perfection. This was the perfect warrior mentality.

"You're glowing red. I've never seen a Super's aura turn that color before." '_Like blood.'_ Gohan slowly edged into a fighting stance, unsure of this new power. '_Did he invent a new attack?'_ He remained on alert and was prepared to defend the building and all of the innocent civilians just in case Trunks decided to ignore their rules and start ki blasting. What unnerved him most was that the Super Saiyajin's eyes weren't the usual vibrant green, instead they were wreathed in black with the green for a pupil. The yellow spikes of hair appeared orange through the red aura. A dark red symbol blazed ominously on his brow. Suddenly, Trunks didn't just look powerful, he looked extremely dangerous.

Meanwhile, Trunks stared down at the flames of blood red energy blazing up his arms in shock. Nothing like this had ever happened before. Ironically, he felt great. Centered. Focused. The rage that always nipped at the edge of his conscious causing him to either suppress it or let it loose, was finally tamed, channeled, and bent to his will. Somehow he had tapped into an energy source within him that was nearly limitless.

The laugh bubbled up in his throat, but he bit it back because it seemed so unnatural. '_The power._' His Saiyajin mind hummed in satisfaction. With this power he could do anything. As if he merely had to wish for something and it would suddenly be so. His instincts seemed closer to the surface. They begged him to strike down his enemies, claim what was his, suck the pleasure out of life, and live completely in the moment without apologies or consequences. Who could stop him? He was a god.

The shock of the last thought reverberated through his soul and allowed his conscience to surface. The feeling was addicting.

That was what scared him enough to finally break away from the power. He blinked in confusion as the red flames slowly dissipated. '_What is happening to me?'_ He didn't have long to analyze the moment because Gohan charged forward and nearly dislocated his jaw with a hard right cross. Trunks was violently brought back into the fight of wills and struggled to reclaim that clarity of purpose, but the perfect power remained elusive and Gohan's relentless assault didn't give him the opportunity to concentrate.

More blood and grunts littered the rooftop over the following hours of battle, until finally the fighters collapsed in a crumpled heap, each broken and bleeding, gasping for breath. They both lay sprawled on the rooftop, too exhausted to continue. The anger in their blood was temporarily sated, allowing an uneasy truce to settle uncomfortably between them. Together, in silence, they watched the overcast purple sky slowly turn a lighter shade, foretelling the coming dawn.

Gohan was the first to break the heavy silence. "What was with the red light show?" He didn't think he would ever forget such a disturbing sight. For a moment, Trunks' expression had caused fear to coat his insides with a dread until he felt sick to his stomach. It was an unpleasant feeling that echoed his feelings from facing Cell. Only this time, it was much worse. Gohan couldn't wrap his mind around the whole experience. For some reason, in that moment he had been more scared of Trunks as a grown man than he had been of Cell as a teen. It didn't make sense. The only explanation was that strange red power.

Trunks casually glanced over and grimaced when he saw that the other man's mind was racing with theories and a thirst for knowledge. There was no way he was going to ruin a perfectly good evening by getting psychoanalyzed by a Ph.D. Whatever that power simultaneously tempted him and scared him. It would take time for him to come to peace with what happened. All he knew was that it was significant. "Fuck if I know." Trunks grinned when his careless dismissal caused Gohan to frown in irritation. Before he could get pestered with whining or more antagonizing questions, he quickly changed the subject. "Do you have anything to drink in that mini bar of yours?"

Gohan frowned harder, "What do you know about that stuff?"

Trunks carefully folded an arm behind his head, trying to make his position more comfortable with the least amount of excess movement. "I know that it'll taste great right about now. I don't care if it's beer, liquor, wine, whatever. Although the hard stuff would definitely be preferable to help dull the pain."

'_Why the hell not?'_ Gohan sighed and groaned when he rolled to his feet. His whole body felt like one giant bruise. '_But what a great fight.' _His first step was really a stumble that was so painfully jarring it caused a cold sweat to break out over his body. The sweat chilled rapidly in the frosty night air causing him to shiver violently at the sudden temperature change. The shiver was painful enough to repeat the torment until his existence became consumed with recycled pain. '_I don't think aspirin is going to cover it tonight. Definitely need alcohol to dull this shit._' It took less than a thought to fly down to his kitchen and raid his supplies.

"Here's your orange soda."

Trunks stared with distaste at the glass bottle fizzy drink Gohan had plopped into his hand. Small slivers of ice slid down the side of the bottle and soaked his bruised knuckles. "What the hell?"

"We'll talk about the hard stuff when you're legal. You have to fly home tonight, remember? I don't want you crashing into airplanes."

"Fuck you, man."

"That's Dr. Son to you." Gohan groaned when he eased back down on the roof and propped himself into a sitting position against one crumpled vent that was nothing more than a twisted heap of metal. The bottle of whiskey clinked softly against the roof when he set it down next to him. "That was the best workout I've had in years."

Trunks scoffed. "Workout. Hell. I kicked your ass. That was a beating, pure and simple."

"Yeah, right. You're bleeding more than me."

It was the truth. Trunks vividly recalled Gohan bodily throwing him right into a jutting piece of metal that sent a hot stripe of pain burning across his chest. His front was literally soaked in blood. Trunks wearily lifted his head and examined the other man's face. "Well, at least I can see out of my eyes and I don't look like the walking dead. Your woman won't even recognize you." He couldn't keep the satisfaction out of his voice.

Gohan tried to grin, but winced when his cut lip split wider and started to bleed more. "Videl likes me no matter what I look like."

Trunks snorted, good-naturedly. "Then she must be blind as well as deaf. I don't know how she stuck with you throughout these years when you snore as badly as you do. It must be love," he laughed. "Or blackmail." Gohan silently swigged out of his handle of whiskey, hissing when the high proof alcohol flooded his cut, but didn't rise to the bait. Trunks sensed the other man's unease at the discussion and, for once showed mercy and let the subject drop for now. "How did you know I was in your house anyway? You were snoring away, trying to wake the dead like usual, when I went into Usa's room."

"I heard you growling to her."

Trunks blinked for a moment and then his meaning processed. "Really? Over your snoring?"

Gohan ignored the verbal jab, and thought back to the scene he interrupted between the Saiyajin prince and his little sister. A clear image of Trunks, the most unbending, vindictive person he had the misfortune to know, was gently tending to Usa. Grudgingly he admitted that she seemed more relaxed and peaceful in her sleep than she had in days. "What did you tell her? I'm right and that's the Saiyajin language right?" He remembered the flowing rhythm to the growls, a change of pitch that denoted language.

"Yeah, that's what our people spoke." It felt weird to be teaching the teacher. This entire conversation was surreal. Never in Trunks' memory could he remember having such a calm and serious conversation with Usa's older brother. For now, his anger was spent, his body was exhausted, and that left only his mind to take control. "She calms when she hears the language. Even when she's awake, she's comforted by it and has been ever since she returned from Vegeta-sei. It doesn't matter what I say."

"I bet it matters to you."

Trunks shrugged and didn't comment. He stared up into the sky and vainly searched for a star. Nothing. The dark purple haze obscured everything.

"What were you doing here tonight anyway? You know that she's not ready to see you."

"She needed me." It was just that simple.

Gohan paused, surprised at his reasoning. He expected the prince to be here out of some selfish desire to ignore her wishes or to boost his ego by breaking the rules yet again. This selflessness from a royal of their species was unprecedented. Finally, he relented. Maybe it was time for them to find common ground and put the past behind them. "I understand. If it were Videl, I don't think I could keep my distance either."

Trunks didn't even sit up to join the discussion. Instead he remained stretched out on the roof with one arm cradling his head and one leg bent for comfort. "It's not the same."

Gohan lifted an eyebrow. '_There's that arrogance. I was waiting for it.' _"You think because we don't like each other, that we can't share the same feelings?"

Trunks lifted his head slightly and let his gaze sweep over Gohan's atrocious cartoon pajama pants that had somehow survived the fight only slightly singed and with more than a few blood stains, his bruised and bloody face that made him unrecognizable, and his sincere, direct look that advertised the intelligence underneath all of that muscle. "We're each a product of two very different bloodlines. Yours passes down two main traits – passion for logic and empathy or intuition whatever you want to call it," he waved his hand in dismissal. "You got the logic. Goten and Goku got the intuition."

Gohan frowned, disconcerted to be analyzed in such a detached way.

"I met your grandfather, did you know that? Usagi grew quite attached to him. From what's she's told me, he had both logic and intuition. She sees much of him in you."

Gohan blinked in shock. "She never told me that." His tone was subdued and almost sad. '_Just when I thought Usa and I are finally being open and honest with each other...'_ It humbled him to know that she linked him with someone she respected so highly. '_Would she have ever told me herself?'_

"Logic defines who you are; hell, you even became a college professor. As if a Saiyajin could stoop so low." Trunks shook his head sadly. "Now, let's take your relationship with Videl."

Gohan tensed at the mention of his long term girlfriend. He didn't like where this conversation was going.

"You've only debated taking the next step in your relationship for how many _years?_ At first, I thought you were just being a chicken shit. Then, I realized you were over analyzing every possible outcome, double checking and triple checking your decisions, making sure you had all your fucking ducks in a fucking row."

Gohan's face burned red with embarrassment. Unlike at the beach, his dad wasn't here to field the hard comments and redirect the conversation to spare his pride.

"I can see it now," Trunks saw the other man's discomfort and not caring, mercilessly continued. "You wanted to make sure you were 'financially solvent' enough to support a wife and eventually a family. You wanted to wait until both you and she were settled in your careers. You've probably waited for the perfect house or apartment to be available on the market, and then waited to amass a good portion of the down payment." Trunks took one careless look at Gohan's clenched fists and stiff silhouette, and flashed his trademarked cocky grin. "I'm right, aren't I? That's how you think – with logic. Completely spineless."

"You've attempted to generalize me, my brother, and my father; but you left out Usagi."

"She's like your grandfather. She's got both logic and intuition. The problem is because of her upbringing, because she was beaten down so many times, she doesn't have the confidence to trust herself; so she lets her logic try to make sense of her intuition. That's why it's so hard for her to simply believe and go with what she feels is right. Her head is getting in the way of her heart." Trunks believed that was why she was fighting the inevitable. He knew that she cared about him as much as he cared about her; but since she didn't want to rely on her feelings, she continued to have a hard time accepting that their relationship had changed.

Gohan couldn't fault his observations.

"Now, my bloodline passes down completely different traits."

"I'm all ears," Gohan's sarcasm masked his interest.

"Practicality. We don't sweat the tough decisions. We see the bigger picture. If you're weak, then you're a pawn – that is what makes us such ruthless, but effective rulers. Anger. A bottomless pit of rage and wrath that burns like acid straight to our core." They locked gazes. "I've drowned in that pit, been consumed by it," he remembered the warehouse and the deer in the forest. "I have reveled in the power fueled by all that rage." His thoughts turned towards his fight with Nappa on Vegeta-sei. For a moment, he let the beast look out through his eyes.

When Gohan saw the same flat black eyes from before, his breath caught and his fear scented the air like sour rain. That merciless gaze lacked only the green of the Super Saiyajin transformation.

"Do you know who has brought me back from the brink every time?" Trunks and his beast searched for the ki floors below that belonged to the innocent curled tightly to ward against the chill of the drafty apartment. Frowning, he vaguely recalled leaving the window open.

Gohan breathed his sister's name, truly understanding her extreme import to the younger Saiyajin for the first time.

"You will never understand what I'm feeling, Gohan. There is no logic. No careful planning. No waiting and hoping and building my courage. I will bind her to me in any way I can because I won't tolerate a life without her. She brings me peace, and I will cheerfully demolish anyone who threatens that peace. So, do yourself a favor and don't interfere again."

Gohan had no doubt in his mind that he meant what he said. The royals never bluffed. He fearlessly faced the fierce intensity that vibrated from the prince. "That's why you've pushed Goten away, isn't it?" his quiet accusation hung heavily in the air. "You knew he would step between you two if things got too intense, and you didn't want him to get hurt."

Trunks looked away, not liking the unprecedented guilt that twisted within him. "I needed more alone time with Usagi, and that would be hard to find with Goten always hanging around."

Gohan stilled. "Practical of you." For some reason, he couldn't believe that the same teen that was so tender with his sister, could be that cold-hearted to his brother. '_Maybe Trunks is lying to himself.'_

Trunks frowned down at his unopened bottle of orange soda; apparently, it was his turn to feel uncomfortable with the conversation. '_Screw this girly gossip session.' _Slowly, painfully, he hauled himself up and glowered down at the Saiyajin seated at his feet. "Take care of her. If she gets even one bruise while she's under your care, then I'll come back and kick your ass again; only, this time you won't even be able to crawl away when I'm through with you."

"Right back at you," Gohan wasn't about to be threatened without giving equal measure. "No more being careless with her feelings or I'll come looking for you."

They stared each other down for a long moment, each understanding where the line was drawn between them. Trunks turned away, but paused to look back. "You're a fool to have waited so long. If you care about your woman, then you would claim her before she realizes that she's wasting her life waiting for you."

Gohan frowned. Maybe it was time for him to stop lying to himself. It was strange that Trunks, of all people, would be the first to hear his confession. "You were right, you know. I failed my sister. I didn't protect her; I didn't shield her like I was supposed to. I was a horrible brother, so I'll probably make a horrible husband." It was easier to let his and Videl's relationship remain unchanged, than fail and lose someone who was so important to him.

"You're failing her now."

Gohan sucked in a sharp breath in surprise.

"My dad says that 'Inaction may be safe, but it builds nothing.' Right now you're not building a relationship because you don't believe in yourself or in her. Your lack of faith will be what finally pushes her away. Saiyajins aren't cowards, Gohan."

Gohan watched as the prince stepped off the edge of the roof and floated down to close Usagi's window. Two seconds later, he was streaking across the sky heading towards the Capsule Corp mansion. Gohan took one last generous gulp from the whiskey bottle before he capped it and set it off to the side. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to move. His head was swimming, but it wasn't from the alcohol. Trunks' blunt opinions kept relentlessly circling through his mind. Could the teenager be right? Trapped in his thoughts, he sat and watched the sun rise between two tall buildings.

An hour later, it was time to get ready for work.

* * *

Before she woke completely, Usagi could smell something sweet that was tantalizing enough to lure her from her dreams, which were actually peaceful for a change. It enticed her to finally crack open her eyes when she would have otherwise cheerfully pulled the sheets over her head and slept for a few more hours. A blur of color had her staring stupidly and blinking her vision clear from the last remnants of sleep. Her gaze sharpened and revealed the flower arrangement Trunks had delivered. '_Why is that here?'_ She could have sworn she had placed it safely on the dresser and out of reach. With a smile, she freed one slim arm from her cocoon of covers and reached up to trace a soft petal. It was so sweet of him to have sent her something beautiful. '_Trunks...' _For some reason he seemed closer than usual. As if he was in the room with her...

Usagi jerked up, startled, and quickly scanned the room for her friend. '_No, he's not here...but he was.'_ She could detect faint traces of his scent, something that she had missed terribly the past few days.

Suddenly, she was mad. How dare he sneak in to her room uninvited? She gasped, '_He broke into Gohan's apartment!'_ There was no way that Gohan would have willingly invited him over, not when he knew how she felt. She pushed the covers away and scrambled out of bed. '_Does Gohan know?'_ She could feel her older brother rummaging in the kitchen, most likely preparing breakfast before he headed off to work. She chewed her lip indecisively; not wanting to exacerbate her best friend and her brother's mutual dislike of each other by bringing up such a huge point of contention. Maybe she could ask a few indirect questions and find her answers without actually saying anything.

Resolutely, she stepped into the hallway where her toes curled against the chilled floors and headed toward the heavenly aroma of grilling breakfast sausage. Gohan stood with his back to her, expertly flipping a spatula in his hand even as he bent to check something in the oven. Something about the way he moved bothered her. Saiyajins naturally moved with a warrior's grace, but Gohan looked stiff and distracted. '_Maybe he didn't sleep well.'_ She slid into a kitchen chair and was about to announce her presence, when he turned to put a plate of food on the table and she saw his face.

Usagi screamed.

She had been raised around fighters for her entire life, so she was used to seeing bruises, cuts, and even blood. However, this was far worse than anything she'd ever been exposed to, even considering her time spent on Vegeta-sei. Gohan's face looked like it had gotten up close and personal with a meat grinder. There were swollen lumps on top of larger, even more grotesque swollen globs of flesh. His skin was every different shade stretching from red, to yellow, to purple. Thankfully, being part Saiyajin gifted him with accelerated healing abilities; but this only made Usagi imagine how he must have looked hours before. Right now, Frankenstein's monster would win a beauty contest in comparison.

Many minutes passed while she was rendered immobile by her shock before she realized Gohan practically threw down the plate of food and was trying to reassure her. It took a second for her to actually hear him.

"-okay, Usa. I'm okay. Just calm down. Everything is going to be alright."

"Alright?!" His ridiculous assertion finally pulled her out of her shocked stupor enough to speak. "I've seen drowned bodies that look less swollen than you. How is that 'alright'?" She gasped. "You have to go to work like that!"

"It's okay," he rushed to explain and head off another ear-wincing exclamation. "I'll just say that I got mugged coming home from work last night. No big deal."

"Right. Like anyone could believe that." Usagi let loose a slightly hysterical giggle; the thought of a weak human thug getting the better of someone as strong and capable as her Saiyajin brother was laughable. "What _did_ happen? You didn't look like this last night. Did you sleep walk and jump off the balcony or something?" From the visible damage alone, he would have had to jump a half a dozen times and land on his face to explain the severity of his injuries.

"It's nothing. I just sparred last night after you went to bed." He tried to shrug, but winced when his shoulder protested.

Usagi didn't believe him for a second. "Sparred?" her tone was incredulous. Sparring didn't leave someone looking like they've recently been resurrected from the grave.

Gohan shifted uneasily from one foot to another and tried to contain his grimace when his nervous movement put extra pressure on his bruised back. He knew that tone. It sounded just like Videl's when she was about to get mean. "Yeah," he answered lamely.

"It was Trunks wasn't it? I can't believe him!" She vaulted out of her chair and started pacing out her frustration. "First he sneaks in here like a thief and then he takes out his anger on my brother. I can't believe I ever thought one nice thing about him. He's an insensitive jerk! If he thinks he can just keep hurting the people I care about, my _family _and that I'll just forgive him, then he's got another thing coming." She snatched up her brother's phone from the kitchen counter. "I'm going to wake him up right now and chew his ear off for this."

"Usa!" Gohan rescued his phone, and cancelled the outgoing call. He clasped her shoulders to stop her pacing and her angry monologue. "You can't hold this against him, okay? Can you do that for me? We had a lot of issues we addressed last night. This was something that was bound to happen eventually; it was simply unfortunate for him that this happened now when you two are at odds in your relationship. So, in the interest of fairness, I'm asking you to let this go." It made him proud that his little sister was so adamant in her defense of her loved ones; she even gave up her life once for two of them, so he knew that this was no easy thing to ask.

Usagi immediately noticed the seriousness of his tone. She tried to think past her own hurt and frustration in order to better understand what he was trying to say, but it was nearly impossible for her to dismiss Trunks' actions when she was staring up at the ruin he left of her brother's face. "Guys are impossible!" She shook herself free from his earnest hold and marched to the fridge. Jerking open the freezer door, she snatched up a bag of frozen peas and threw it at him. "Here. Put this on your face." Under her breath she continued her rant. "Stupid, testosterone poisoned _men._ Girls don't revert into cavemen and pound each other to settle our differences."

Gohan sheepishly held the peas to her face and tried not to grin at her antics. "Come on, breakfast is ready."

When they sat down to eat, a faint whiff of burned food wafted from the kitchen. "Oh, crap. The biscuits!" Gohan darted from his seat and rushed to open the oven. The smell immediately worsened. He absently reached in for the pan and then cursed at the heat. Frantically, he fished into a drawer and pulled out an over-sized oven mitt.

Usagi stared after him, bemused by his distracted demeanor. It was then that she noticed he was wearing two different colored socks and hadn't combed his hair. Even as she watched, he nervously ran his fingers through his black tresses, leaving it even more disheveled. He looked...frazzled. Something was on her brother's mind, but she didn't know what. '_He'll share when he's ready.'_

After breakfast Usagi studied her bruised brother as he stared off into space. She patiently waited for him to return to reality, but the minutes passed with no change. "Uh, Gohan?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you going to work today or what?"

Gohan blinked at her in confusion and then turned to look at the oven clock. Cursing, he jumped up from his chair. Two seconds later he was out the door and Usagi was left alone with a mess to clear. Slowly climbing to her feet, she sighed and reached for a plate.

It didn't take her long to wash the dishes and put away the leftover food. All the while her thoughts were consumed with analyzing her vacillating emotions. On one hand she was furious with Trunks for all of the changes he was arbitrarily instigating – how he treated her and her family, the violence he so easily meted out to others – but something within her was inexplicably drawn to him no matter how autocratic he became. Usagi knew that she was out of her depth with this whole situation. She needed advice.

Briefly she considered calling Bulma, but knew that the CEO would be holed up all day in meetings busily running her business empire. Besides it would feel weird going to Trunks' mom for advice concerning their relationship. In any case, Capsule Corp headquarters was on the other side of the mansion and therefore off limits until she finally resolved her feelings. If Trunks caught her anywhere close to home, then he would talk her into staying. No, she needed to look elsewhere. Absently Usagi glanced around the kitchen, searching for a stray dish to clean, when she noticed the calendar hanging on the fridge. 'Videl's day off' was penned under today's date.

* * *

"You're going to love this place. I haven't been there in ages; but the food is great, the beer is cheap, and the crazy people are entertaining to watch."

Usagi listened to her brother's girlfriend as she happily chattered on about her favorite bar restaurant they were walking to on the north side of town. The day had been filled with gossip and shopping. Videl was hardly the girly girl type, but Usagi needed a jacket now that the nights were getting colder and all of her clothes were still at the mansion. Shopping wasn't a hardship for Videl since she found some new gloves for her kick boxing class at a small specialty store that was only at the mall in Rat Square. However, since the north side was a little rundown and underdeveloped, they were left with few appetizing choices when they decided to end the day with a meal. Then Videl remembered the hole-in-the-wall place that had lots of character and good quality food. Usagi was a little skeptical; 'hole-in-the-wall' and 'lots of character' describing a place that served food usually meant rundown with a questionable health rating.

The streets were filled with the blue collar crowd trudging to their after-work hang outs and most were heading towards the same place they were. Simply labeled Bruno's Bar and Grill, Usagi thought that Videl was accurate in her descriptions. Bulma would never set foot in a place like this.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Usagi stood for a moment to absorb the boisterous atmosphere. There were a few couples scattered throughout the room tucked into tiny tables, but most of the patrons were gathered in large groups. Many had haphazardly pulled together tables and stools forcing the harried waitresses to squeeze through impossibly small gaps hoisting large plates of steaming hot food. Even as she watched, one tall guy snagged a fry off of a passing plate and popped it into his mouth.

There was a stage on the far side of the room with hulking, outdated equipment set up for entertainment that was scheduled later in the night. While Videl greeted the hostess like a long lost friend, Usagi spied a flier advertising live music from an up-and-coming local band that she didn't readily recognize. Haphazardly thrown up on the walls were cheap decorations including neon beer signs and even a massive highway sign defaced by suggestive graffiti. They had to wait a few minutes until they were finally seated while a busboy with several creative piercings cleared away the leavings of a table and pocketed the few bills left in tip. The menu was homemade but had a surprising variety of food choices.

"I know this place takes a little getting used to," Videl commented with a grin, noting the younger girl's unease at the men aggressively cheering the next table over.

Usagi cracked a smile. Slowly, she traced the names carved into the wood of their table. It was literally scarred with messages; most so profane they made her blush. "I like it here. I wonder if," she squinted, trying to decipher the words under her fingertips. "John and Cindy are still dating."

Before Videl could comment a familiar voice cut through the crowd.

"Usagi? Son Usagi?"

Usagi turned and stared at the bright-haired girl she had met a few days ago. "Molly?"

The girl wearing a black half apron packed full of straws threw down the sodas she was holding and yanked Usagi up into a bone-crushing hug. The sodas overturned and sloshed over the bottle-covered table of the loud men, soaking one poor guy's pants through with sugary drink. "Hey! Watch it."

Molly turned, matching the drunken man's wrath with her own. "You watch it. Can't you see I'm having a moment here? One more word out of you and I'll have you escorted out." She pulled out a giant wad of white napkins from her apron and threw it at the man. "Here. Clean yerself up. You look like you pissed yer pants."

Usagi watched as the man threw up his hands in surrender and start to wipe at his lap. She was impressed that the young girl, who couldn't be more than a year or two older than her, faced down a grown man obviously well into his cups.

"Ignore him; he's harmless. Come on, you've got to meet my uncle Bruno. I've told him all about you." Molly took Usagi's hand and started to drag her through the crowd, when she was stopped by a man who looked to be in his early twenties, with tan arms that bulged when he crossed them.

"Don't worry 'bout it, Moll. I sent someone to get dad."

Molly introduced the young hottie, "This is my cousin Twitch."

"The one who's good with handcuffs?"

A blush crept up the man's neck and stained his cheeks a dark pink. Usagi flushed in mortification - she hadn't meant it like _that - _but Molly just laughed along with a few eavesdroppers.

Videl looked between the two girls with bemusement. "You two know each other?"

Molly blinked down at the dark-haired girl. "Videl? Long time no see. Where's that man of yers?" She glanced around as if looking for someone else. Then it hit her, "Wait. _You_ two know each other?" The three of them stared at each other, all shocked that such an unlikely group could be friends.

Usagi could image the other two got along well. They were both tough women who loved to live life to the fullest, even if they were separated by an age gap of ten years. It saddened her to realize that she was the oddity of the trio. With a deep breath, she shoved away her self-pity. Now wasn't the time. She needed advice and who better to give that than a pair of strong women who knew their minds? "Videl dates my older brother."

Molly eyed her critically. "No way ye're related that that fine piece of male flesh. I already told Videl if she ever leaves him, I'll snatch him up in a skinny minute."

Usagi blushed. She didn't want to think about her brother like that.

Videl laughed good-naturedly. "He's my man, so back off. Besides, he doesn't go for jailbait." She leaned back in her chair and eyed the two girls. "So how do you two know each other?"

Usagi shared a weighted look with Molly and hesitated. How was she supposed to explain their meeting without mentioning the warehouse, Trunk's breakdown, or her powers?

Fortunately, Molly answered. "I was in a tight spot and Usagi got me out. She saved my life." Absently, she rubbed her wrists where the handcuffs used to be.

Usagi's voice was pitched low, so only they could hear. "How are you? I mean, really. I've been worried about you and I wanted to make sure you were okay after…" she trailed off, not wanting to say the wrong thing and trigger any bad memories.

Molly looked up and saw the same look that she had seen on her uncle's face when she told him that the Yakuza had taken her. "Nothing like _that_ happened. I had just been brought up to that room, when," here her voice caught and faltered. "When the man left in a hurry. He didn't have a chance to…"

Remembering the bed room, with the stained sheets, Usagi closed her eyes in relief, grateful that her friend hadn't had to suffer in that way. '_Could Trunks and his men be the reason that man left in so quickly? Is he the reason she was spared the ultimate violation?'_ How could she be mad at him now? It was all becoming so confusing. "I'm glad." Usagi blinked away her tears and gripped her friend's hand tightly.

Before another word could be said, a huge red-haired man with biceps the size of tree trunks standing head and shoulders taller than everyone else marched his way through the crowd. Patrons were quick to scramble out of his way, knowing that it was move or be mowed down. This bear of a man moved like a tank and stopped to loom ominously over their table.

"Uncle Bru! This is the chit I was tellin' ya about."

Usagi gulped when the giant shifted his attention to her. '_I wish Trunks were here right now…'_

Suddenly the man bowed formally to her. A hush fell over the crowd at such a rare sight. The owner of the bar rarely showed anyone that level of respect. "I'm grateful to you for returning my girl. You ever need _anything_, you let me know. Ye hear?" His voice was a deep baritone and gruff, matching the rest of him. His dark brown eyes bored into hers, conveying a depth of emotion that reached beyond gratitude. Usagi slowly nodded. She understood what he couldn't put into words.

The man straightened and glared out over the sea of people. "This is my place, and you won't want for anythin' here. Anyone gives you lip girl, just say the word and I'll have them out on the street quicker 'an a lager turns to piss." He waved over a waitress. "Get their orders; they're on the house." He nodded once and then headed back to the bar.

After the waitress left, Molly snagged a chair from a nearby table and joined them. "That's my uncle, my mother's brother. He takes care of me now."

Usagi looked at her askance. "Where is your mother?"

Molly's happy face dimmed. "She died a long time ago. My dad left when I was young, so my uncle took me in." Her eyes swept across the whole restaurant filled with relaxing, celebrating, laughing people. It was a very positive atmosphere. She loved it here. "This is his place. Ever since I turned 15, I've been helping out as a waitress and earning a little extra spending money." She shrugged nonchalantly. "It's usually great, but ever since I came back," she jerked a thumb over her shoulder and pointed at Twitch who still stood at her back, glaring at anyone who got close to their table. "He sicced my cousin on me. Now I can't go anywhere alone."

Videl decided to get back at the girl for her earlier comment. She slowly eyed the young man from head to toe. "I dunno. I don't think I'd mind him following me around." She wagged her eyebrows suggestively.

Usagi laughed as Molly made a gagging sound. She decided to join in. "Yeah, he can be my stalker any day."

Videl chuckled. "Yeah, right, Usa. Like Trunks would ever let that happen." She eyed the man again. "Twitch here wouldn't stand a chance."

Molly perked up. "Who is this Trunks character?"

"How can you know Usa, but not know Trunks?" Videl was incredulous. Those two were practically joined at the hip. It was rare to find one without the other.

Molly frowned. "I just don't," was her only explanation. "Well?" she turned to the blond girl. "Is he your boyfriend or somethin'?"

Videl watched Usa blush and grinned. "Yeah, Usa. Is he your boyfriend or something?" she parroted, genuinely curious to see if Trunks had finally talked her into being more than just friends.

Usagi scowled at their two expectant faces. "I don't even know if Trunks is my friend right now. I'm so mad at him." She huffed and clinched her fists. "He's treating my family like dirt and expects me to just be okay with that. Then, he turns around and does something sweet. I just don't know what to think anymore." She explained about how Trunks was ignoring Goten and how he beat up on Gohan.

"He did what?!" Videl exploded and almost vaulted out of her chair.

Then Usagi explained how Gohan didn't want her to get mad about that. "I just don't understand guys sometimes."

Molly laughed. "Well I guess it's only fair, 'cause they don't understand us either. Makes communicating real interestin'."

Calm now that she knew Gohan had everything under control, Videl settled back in her chair and rejoined the conversation. However, she still planned to call her boyfriend and demand more details. "It sounds like Trunks is trying to get back in your good graces."

"It sounds like he's a manipulative jerk to me. You should tell him to piss off and find yourself another friend."

Videl disagreed. "It's not that simple, Molly. They live together."

She blinked. "Oh. Well, then."

Usagi shook her head. "He's my best friend. I don't think I could ever ditch him. We've been friends for, like, ever."

Their conversation was put on hold when their food finally came. After the first few bites, Molly had an idea. "Well, he sounds like he's trying to play nice with you. So, my advice is to make him pay for all of the shit he's been pulling with your family."

Videl grinned. "You said he wants you to come home? Well, make him work for that. He needs to prove to you that he's serious. You shouldn't just give in because you're not sure you're justified in your anger. Believe me, he's been a jerk; you're justified."

Usagi seemed overwhelmed by their suggestions.

Molly didn't have a problem getting in to the spirit of things. "You know him better than anyone else. What does he hate more than anything?"

Usagi frowned and considered for a long moment. "He hates to apologize." That grudging apology over the phone still rankled days later.

Videl snorted. "Yeah, he's an arrogant little prick sometimes. He could definitely afford to lose some of that pride." In her opinion princes, especially Saiyajin princes, were born with a stick shoved up their asses.

"Really?" Molly's grin was a little merciless. "Well then make him apologize publically. There's nothing more satisfying than public humiliation. If he apologizes in front of witnesses – a crowd would be better – then you'll know he is serious about his feelings for you."

Videl whooped. "Can I be there? Please?" she begged. If Gohan was as hurt as badly as Usagi said, then she definitely wanted a little retribution.

Usagi was thoughtful. "I need to think about this." Her mind was swimming with ideas. It was nice to know that they supported her anger and understood her hurt feelings. Trunks was always able to make her feel like she was the one overreacting or upset for no reason.

"I remember once, about five years ago, Gohan really messed up and he er…'_volunteered'_ to help with my kick boxing class." Videl smirked with delight remembering how quickly the fighter's arrogance was replaced with fear. "It's an all girl class, and many of those women have anger issues, especially towards men. Gohan was the live practice dummy for our self-defense practice, and he had to just stand there and take it."

"Oooh, that's just evil."

Usagi blinked in shock. "He did that? Gohan?"

Videl grinned. "Yep. And let me tell you, he hasn't stepped out of line since. See? Humiliation is good for the soul; it builds character."

"Five years ago? How long have you two been dating anyway?" Molly asked curiously.

Videl blushed. "A while."

Usagi slowly counted back the years in her head and silently whistled. '_A long while.'_ Since they were sharing guy stories, she decided to ask a question that had long been debated by the Z senshi. "Why haven't you two tied the knot? After dating so long, surely you've thought about it."

Videl viciously stabbed her straw through the ice of her drink. "I've thought about it, but I don't think Gohan has. Really, though, it doesn't matter. I don't need a stupid ring to tell me how much I love him."

Usagi and Molly shared a look. They could hear through the careful indifference in her voice, and detected the hurt and disappointment underneath. Tentatively, Usagi reached out and grabbed her hand. "You'll always be like a sister to me." Usagi knew that it was nice to have another girl on the Saiyajin outings, and Videl was the only human female who had a prayer of keeping up with their crowd.

The rest of dinner was filled with laughter and outrageous attempts to get Twitch to blush again - most of the suggestive comments revolved around handcuffs. Usagi and Videl finally called it a night when the band started playing and conversation became difficult. At the door, Molly pulled Usagi into a tight hug and gained her promise to visit again to let her know the results of their humiliation plan. They poured out into the street and straight into a rain storm. Since neither of them wanted to fly in inclement weather, they quickly ducked for cover and hurried towards the bus stop that was on the next block over, giggling as they attempted to dodge the freezing raindrops.

Unbeknownst to them, in the shadows of the alley across the street a man bundled tightly against the weather with a dark trench coat, casually lifted a camera and snapped a few pictures of the blonde.

* * *

"You're finally home."

Usagi had walked into the apartment slicking off the rain from her face and arms, when Gohan practically pounced on her. '_Was he waiting for me?'_ Quickly she thought back but couldn't remember any missed plans. "I went out for some girl time. What's wrong?" Her usually calm and collected brother seemed anxious, excited, and worried. It was such a dramatic change that she briefly entertained the thought of possession of evil spirits and alien mind control.

"You're a girl."

She blinked and stared. Carefully, she nodded as if she were talking to a mentally challenged child. "Last I checked. Is that a problem?" Usagi considered going to Videl's apartment, since the longer she was here, the more she believed that females were the saner gender.

"Girls have opinions."

She tilted her head to the side and looked at him as if he had grown a second head, one that was stupid. "Opinions are like assholes; everyone's got one." That was Bulma's favorite saying, especially when she was ranting about the ignorant members of her Board of Directors. "Guys have opinions too."

He paced the length of the living room and ran his fingers through his spiky black hair. On the fourth circuit, she couldn't take it any longer. "Did you need to ask me something?"

Her voice seemed to startle him. "Oh, what?"

Usagi patiently repeated her question and watched as he rapidly paled. He mumbled something under his breath.

"What?" Now they were talking in circles. Soon they would be reduced to mindless babble.

"I need your opinion on something."

Usagi leaned back against the couch and lifted a single eyebrow in inquiry. Whatever it was had to be good if it was reducing her genius brother to simple sentences.

"Girls like flowers, right? And candlelight?" He gulped. "Romance? Who am I kidding, she's just going to laugh and then dump me on the spot." All of the doubts that plagued him throughout the day at work were finally actualized.

"What are you talking about?" Usagi couldn't stand his agitation any longer.

Gohan sucked in a deep breath, threw back his shoulders, and stood as straight as a lance. "I'm thinking about asking Videl to marry me."

* * *

"Here, brother." Sapphire threw a slim file folder on the large mahogany desk and watched as it slid across the glossy finish to rest at his brother's fingertips. "This just came in tonight. Our sources would have reported sooner, but she proved difficult to locate."

Diamond kept typing. "What are you bothering me with now?"

"The report you requested on the girl civilian who crashed the Yakuza raid. The one the men are calling Xandra."

"I don't have time, Sapphire. I know you've read it already, so just give me your impressions and then get out."

Sapphire kept his sigh to himself. Apparently his brother was in one of his moods. "She doesn't look the type for anything that isn't strictly straight-laced. She's an innocent. I think it would be a waist of time trying to dig up any dirt to blackmail her with. However, the report was very thorough and gives a lot of insight on Xand. Such insight might prove useful in our future dealings with him."

Diamond rubbed his strained eyes and leaned back in his leather chair. The stubbornness he heard in his brother's voice was all too familiar. He knew that if he didn't give in and actually read the damn report, then Sapphire wouldn't leave him in peace to get any work done. Running an organization with such a large scope that transcended industries and spanned the globe took a lot of time and effort, which was why he was still at the office after hours. With no small amount of irritation, he flipped open the folder and thumbed through the report. A small picture slipped from the loose pages and fluttered face down on his keyboard. Irritated, he snatched it up and gave it a cursory glance, intending to shove it back into the file.

Instead, he jolted and sat up straight in his chair, every hair on his body stood to attention. It was a picture of a petite blond girl stepping out of a bar, laughing as she held a hand out to cup the rain. There was such sweet joy in her expression. He wanted that joy for himself. He knew that he had never met her in his life, but he recognized her on an elemental level. Who was this girl? How could a mere photograph affect him so strongly? Everything about her was entirely too appealing.

At the corner of his vision he saw Sapphire raise an eyebrow at his strange behavior. To avoid suspicion, he attempted to relax and adopt an indifferent expression, but his body was still alert and thrumming with renewed vigor. Diamond tried to read the report, but his gaze kept sliding back to the photo. It was as if his eyes needed confirmation that she was indeed real.

"Something wrong?"

"Of course not," he was quick to reply and snatched the folder close. "Since Xand is our newest general, I think it's imperative that we keep a close eye on his movements outside our influence."

Sapphire nodded gravely, "I'll assign one of our men to-"

"No." Diamond cut him off more sharply than he intended. Something twisted inside of him at the thought of other men watching her. "I'll see to it personally." He slid the report across the table, where Sapphire deftly snatched it up before it fell. "Dismissed."

Sapphire's eyes flicked down and he hesitated, but a lifetime of obeying orders had him quickly bowing himself out of the room.

As soon as the door closed, Diamond followed his brother's gaze and stared, amazed at the photograph still clutched tightly in his fist. For some reason, he hadn't returned it with the rest of the report. There was something intriguing about the girl, something that bothered him about her. He wasn't used to ignoring his instincts. He couldn't deny that this was the first thing to grab his interest in what felt like ages. Gone was the monotony of life, the lackluster daily routine that plagued him of late. He forgot about what he was working on moments ago and mulled over this strange mental shift.

Subconsciously his thumb moved over her face, stroking it affectionately. "Usagi..."

* * *

AN: Yay! Done with the chapter. You guys don't know how much I debated and had to revise some of the scenes. I've had most of the chapter written for about a week, but it had to be just right. It ended up being a little longer than last chappy, so I hope you enjoyed and that it was worth the wait. I couldn't resist having a creeper moment at the end - Diamond is so good for that. I hope this chapter gives you a little more insight into Trunks' motivations, Gohan's insecurities, Usagi's growing protectiveness, a reintroduction of Videl's character (we haven't seen her since the World Tournament). My favorite parts of this chappy were Trunks' "god moment", Usagi freaking out when she saw Gohan's face, and Diamond's first visual of Usagi. REVIEW! Give me your thoughts, impressions, input, whatever. I always like hearing what you have to say. Many times your comments help me refine the plot. Next chapter will be more Black Moon.

Jennifer - Thanks for being a fan for years!

Angel715 - You're right in that there relationship isn't the healthiest, so there's still lots of room for improvement. Lots more Diamond/Usa moments to come. Promise.

Crystal Magic - :) Just wait and see (few chapters)

CrescentB - Thanks for your enthusiasm! Reading your review made me grin and inspired me to get to work so that I wouldn't disappoint.

Artemesia-hime - I'm glad you liked it! Usagi isn't going to cave, she's going to make him work for it! ;-P

xoxSernityxox - yeah, there was a lot more cursing in this chapter. I would say sorry, but I think guys around that age (my brother did at least) like to curse because it makes them feel more manly. They're about 15 or so now, Goten around 14.

Ren - Thanks for the compliments! I've tried very hard to blend the worlds and keep everything semi-realistic. Lots more BMC to come. Thanks for sticking with me for so long!

JoWashington, angel313, mavrik014, otepbunni - Thank you for your reviews and your welcome!

Guest - I made this chapter long as well so that you could get another good look into the plot. Diamond's got his own plans up his sleeve, don't you worry. Thanks for your input, it definitely spawned a few new ideas and got me thinking. :) I think those are the best kind of reviews so thanks again!

Guest - Diamond and Usagi's first face-to-face is going to change some things. Thanks for rereading; I put a lot of small details in that I always wonder if readers will catch on the first read. As for your other questions, wait and see. :)

Notonceagain - Wow. 2007. . Thank you so much. It really means a lot when readers stick with me that long. I know its not easy 'cause I'm not the fastest writer. :) Thank you for the amazing compliments! I'm glad that you like the detail and I try to make each scene significant (although considering how long this story is getting, I don't think I'm always successful).

Saris Yui - I don't think I could ever forget this story. I hope this explains a little more about why Usagi might not be too excited about their developing relationship. Don't worry, she'll eventually come around, as long as Trunks doesn't keep messing up.

Guest - She's going to learn more as the story progresses, and as she keeps faces her issues, her confidence will keep growing.

Ivy Tearen - I'm glad you like my writing style. I try not to make it too wordy, but (looks down at page count) after 18 pages, I think I failed. Oh well.

Guest - You are totally right about the wrong things. Isn't it funny how people justify their actions?

OceanTide - I chuckled when I read your review. I hope this helps explain a little more about Usagi's feelings. As for your other questions...I'm not telling yet, but I will answer your questions in the coming chapters.

Eloyse - Thank you for following my story from the beginning and reviewing! I'm glad you liked the last chapter and that all of the characters made sense - sometimes its hard when they're so fantastical. Thank you for your lengthy review! It made my day.

Sesshy's Mistress - :) I'm sorry my cliffhanger broke your heart.

Tanaraza - I'm so happy that you can identify with these characters on an emotional level. Thank you for leaving me a review when you don't normally. (I don't think your review was blubbery :))

Jacque Nicole - If you think my plot elements are riveting, that that means I'm doing something right. Thank you for the lovely review. I hope this chapter kept you addicted.

Princesakarlita411 - Sorry no Goku in this chapter, but I put in Videl. Hope that was a good second choice. Don't worry, Goten and Goku are coming.

For everyone else out there, thank you for reading and please review. I love the input. If I missed anyone on the responses, I apologize. Until next chappy!


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